ILLUSTRATED* 


' , 


! 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN 


BY 


GEORGE   CANNING  jHILL 


NEW  YORK: 

WORTHINGTON    CO., 

747    BROADWAY. 

1887. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1864,  by 
J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  A  CO., 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Eastern 
District  of  Pennsylvania. 


COtfTESTTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

/  j 

YOUTH   AND   APPRENTICESHIP, / 

CHAPTER  II. 

AT   HIS   TRADE, '  .      .  34 

CHAPTER  III. 

TO   ENGLAND   AND   BACK, 59 

CHAPTER  IV. 

IN   BUSINESS, 81 

CHAPTER  V. 

GETTING   ALONG, 106 

CHAPTER  VI. 

BECOMING   A   PUBLIC    MAN, 129 

CHAPTER  VII. 

GEORGE    WHITFIELD SOLDIERING — A    PHILOSOPHER,       .       .       .    152 

1*  (v) 


M368041 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

PAGS 
GETTING   FAME, 173 

CHAPTER  IX. 

AS   A  MILITARY   MAN, 199 

CHAPTER  X. 

FIRST   FIVE   YEARS   IN   EUROPE, 224 

CHAPTER  XI. 

FOREIGN  AGENT  OF  THE  COLONIES, 249 

CHAPTER  XII. 

STEPS   TO   THE   REVOLUTION, 271 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

MINISTER   TO   FRANCE 296 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

CLOSE   OF   HIS   CAREER, 317 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN, 


CHAP  TEE  I. 

YOUTH  AND  APPRENTICESHIP. 

IT  is  uncommon  for  the  steps  of  so  practical 
a  person  as  Dr.  Franklin  to  be  turned  into 
such  romantic  paths.    He  could  have  dreamed 
of  nothing  more  than  a  life  of  hard  and  steady 
labor;   yet  the  persevering  pursuit  of  that  very 
labor  made  him  the  counsellor  of  Generals  and 
Congresses,  the  representative  of  his  country  at 
foreign  Courts,  and  worthy  to  be  asked  to  sit  down 
with  kings. 

He  was  a  genuine  product  of  American  soil. 
His  mother-wit  served  him  better  than  learning, 
and  his  ready  knowledge  of  human  nature  was  an 
invaluable  resource.  He  was  shrewd  and  saga 
cious;  prudent,  yet  bold;  frugal,  yet  generous; 
a  student  of  philosophy,  but  a  man  of  the  world. 

(7) 


8  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

He  took  hold  of  whatever  he  did,  that  he  might 
work  out  some  tangible  result.  Nothing  came  to 
him  by  luck,  but  everything  through  labor.  His 
instinctive  modesty  was  only  paralleled  by  his  ad 
mirable  self-possession.  £To  man  was  ever  more  wil 
ling  to  keep  himself  out  of  sight,  if  by  that  means 
the  cause  could  be  helped  on.  He  sought  only  stable 
things ;  and  reputation  followed  as  a  matter  of 
course.  His  clearness  and  coolness  of  judgment 
made  him  widely  sought  after  as  an  adviser ;  and, 
if  he  offered  a  doubt,  it  was  called  one  of  "  Frank 
lin's  portents,"  which  led  men  to  pause  and  reflect 
a  little  longer. 

This  is  by  no  means  a  summary  of  his  varied 
character,  but  a  mere  hint  of  the  sterling  ore 
which  lay  beneath. 

Benjamin  Franklin  was  born  in  Boston,  but 
settled  in  business,  at  last,  in  Philadelphia,  where 
he  established  his  home.  His  father  came  over 
from  England  with  his  first  wife,  in  1685,  bringing 
three  children ;  four  more  were  born  to  them  in 
Boston,  when  his  wife  died,  and  he  married  again. 
The  second  wife  bore  him  ten  children,  of  which 
number  Benjamin  was  the  eighth,  two  girls  being 
his  juniors.  The  whole  brood,  therefore,  counted 
seventeen  :  Franklin  says,  in  his  autobiography, 


YOUTH    AND    APPRENTICESHIP. 

that  he  remembered  to  have  seen  thirteen  sitting 
around' the  table  at  one  time. 

His  father's  name  was  Josiah ;  he  married  Abiah 
Folger,  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
!N"ew  England,  whom  old  Cotton  Mather  styled  "a 
godly  and  learned  Englishman."  His  father's 
trade,  after  coming  to  New  England,  was  that  of 
a  tallow-chandler  and  soap-boiler:  he  had  been  a 
dyer  in  the  old  country,  but  found  that  trade  too 
poor  an  one  to  permit  him  to  support  his  family. 
He  was  an  excellent  man,  of  a  firm  and  healthy 
texture  of  character,  fond  of  mechanical  opera 
tions,  skilled  in  drawing,  and  much  given  to  music. 
After  the  day's  work  was  over,  he  used  to  play  on 
his  violin,  accompanying  it  with  his  voice.  He 
was  possessed  of  a  sound  judgment,  and  would 
have  been  called  into  public  affairs  had  not  his 
large  family  kept  him  in  straitened  circumstances 
and  held  him  all  the  time  close  to  his  trade.  His 
word,  however,  had  weight  with  the  leading  men 
of  his  church,  and  many  persons  came  to  consult 
him  about  their  private  matters.  They  often 
chose  him  to  decide  in  their  differences,  willing 
to  abide  his  just  decision.  Franklin  says  that,  at 
the  family  table,  he  liked  to  have  some  sensible 
friond,  or  neighbor,  call  in  to  converse  with  him, 


10  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

and  invariably  started  some  topic  for  talk,  with  a 
view  to  improve  the  minds  of  the  children.  "By 
this  means" — he  adds — "he  turned  our  attentior 
to  what  was  good,  just,  and  prudent,  in  the  con 
duct  of  life ;  and  little  or  no  notice  was  ever  taken 
of  what  related  to  the  victuals  on  the  table,  whether 
it  was  well  or  ill  dressed,  in  or  out  of  season,  of 
good  or  bad  flavor,  preferable  or  inferior  to  this 
or  that  other  thing  of  the  kind:  so  that  I  was 
brought  up  in  such  a  perfect  inattention  to  those 
matters,  as  to  be  quite  indifferent  what  kind  of 
food  was  set  before  me." 

Franklin's  father  lived  to  be  eighty-nine  years 
of  age,  and  his  mother  to  be  eighty-five :  he  says 
he  never  knew  either  of  them  to  have  any  sick 
ness  but  that  of  which  they  died.  They  lie  buried 
in  Boston,  where  he  erected  over  them  a  marble 
tablet,  on  which  is  recorded  the  story  of  their 
lives  and  virtues.  The  inscription  on  this  stone 
is  curious  enough  to  be  copied  into  even  the 
briefest  life  of  the  dutiful  and  illustrious  son. 
This  is  it :— 


YOUTH   AND   APPRENTICESHIP.  11 

JOSIAH  FRANKLIN 

and 

Abiah  his  wife, 

Lie  here  interred. 

They  lived  lovingly  together  in  wedlock 

Fifty-live  years ; 

And  without  an  eftate,  or  any  gainful  employment, 
By  conftant  labor,  and  honest  induftry, 

(With  God's  blessing,) 

Maintained  a  large  family  comfortably, 

And  brought  up  thirteen  children,  and  seven  grandchildren 

Reputably. 

From   this  inftance,  reader, 
Be  encouraged  to  diligence  in  thy  calling, 

And  distrust  not  Providence. 
He  was  a  pious  and  prudent  man, 
She  a  discreet  and  virtuous  woman. 

Their  youngest   son, 
In  filial  regard  to  their  memory, 

Places  this  ftone. 

J.  F.  born   1655;  died   1744,  y*Et.  89. 
A.  F.  born  1667;  died   1752,  Mt.  85. 

"When  young  Benjamin  was  eight  years  old,  he 
was  sent  to  the  grammar  school,  his  father  mean 
ing  to  devote  him  to  the  service  of  the  church. 
The  lad  was  a  ready  learner,  and  made  rapid  pro 
gress  in  his  classes,  rising  from  one  to  another. 
He  was  kept  here  but  about  a  year,  however,  his 
father's  circumstances  not  allowing  him  to  think 


12  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

of  sending  him  to  college,  and  was  next  put  to  a 
Mr.  George  Brownwell,  who  kept  a  famous  school 
for  writing  and  arithmetic.  "With  this  teacher  he 
soon  learned  to  write  a  good  hand ;  but  he  con 
fesses  that  he  made  a  failure  in  his  arithmetic ! 
He  was  but  ten  years  old,  when  his  father  took 
him  out  of  school  to  help  him  in  his  business  of 
tallow-chandler  and  soap-boiler;  and  the  future 
philosopher  and  statesman  was,  so  early  in  life  as 
that,  cutting  wicks  for  candles,  filling  moulds  with 
melted  tallow,  waiting  on  the  shop,  and  running 
of  errands.  He  declares  that  he  did  not  like  the 
trade,  and  wanted  to  go  to  sea;  but  his  father 
would  permit  no  such  thing.  Living  where  the 
tides  came  and  went  twice  each  day,  he  spent 
more  or  less  time  about  the  water,  and  very  soon 
learned  to  swim  well,  and  to  manage  boats ;  and 
when  the  least  trouble  threatened  the  young  crew 
on  the  water,  Franklin  was  set  up  as  captain  and 
controller. 

He  was  generally  a  leader  among  his  comrades, 
and  admits  that  he  sometimes  led  them  into 
"  scrapes;"  he  mentions  one  such,  to  show  what 
spirit  he  was  made  of.  "  There  was  a  salt  marsh," 
he  says,  "  which  bounded  part  of  the  mill-pond, 
on  the  edge  of  which,  at  high  water,  we  used  to 


YOUTH    AND   APPRENTICESHIP.  13 

stand  to  fish  for  minnows.  By  mucli  trampling  we 
had  made  it  a  mere  quagmire.  My  proposal  was  to 
build  a  wharf  there  for  us  to  stand  upon,  and  I 
showed  my  comrades  a  large  heap  of  stones  which 
were  intended  for  a  new  house  near  the  marsh, 
and  which  would  very  well  suit  our  purpose.  Ac 
cordingly,  in  the  evening,  when  the  workmen  were 
gone  home,  I  assembled  a  number  of  my  playfel 
lows,  and  we  worked  diligently,  like  so  many  em 
mets,  sometimes  two  or  three  to  a  stone,  till  we 
brought  them  all  to  make  a  little  wharf.  The  next 
morning,  the  workmen  were  surprised  at  missing 
the  stones,  which  had  formed  our  wharf.  Inquiry 
was  made  after  the  authors  of  this  transfer ;  we 
were  discovered,  complained  of,  and  corrected  by 
our  fathers  ;  and,  though  I  demonstrated  the  utility 
of  our  work,  mine  convinced  me  that  that  which 
was  not  honest,  could  not  be  truly  useful" 

Franklin  continued  with  his  father  in  the  soap 
boiler's  business  for  two  years,  arriving  at  his 
twelfth  year.  He  disliked  the  trade  worse  than 
ever ;  and  his  father  began  to  fear  lest  the  lad 
would  indeed  run  away  to  sea,  if  his  own  wishes 
in  the  matter  of  a  calling  were  not  more  regarded. 
So  he  took  his  son  to  walk  with  him  all  about 
the  town,  among  the  joiners,  the  bricklayers,  the 


14  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

turners,  the  braziers,  and  the  men  of  other  trades 
and  occupations,  while  at  their  work,  all  the  time 
watching  to  see  which  of  them  all  the  lad  might 
appear  to  prefer,  and  intending  to  let  him  choose 
any  one  of  them,  if  that  would  only  break  his 
tendency  for  the  sea.  One  happy  result  came  of 
these  repeated  visits,  if  no  other :  when  the  boy 
became  a  man,  he  knew  so  much  of  the  several 
trades,  and  how  workmen  handled  their  tools,  that 
he  was  always  ready  to  perform  trifling  jobs  in 
the  house,  and  could  construct  machines  for  his 
philosophical  experiments  just  when  his  intention 
was  fresh  and  warm  in  his  mind. 

His  father  at  last  designed  him  for  the  cutler's 
trade,  and  placed  him  for  a  few  days,  as  a  trial, 
with  his  brother  Samuel,  who  -had  been  bred  to 
the  trade  in  London,  and  had  recently  set  up  in 
business  in  Boston ;  but  his  cousin  demanded  so 
large  a  fee  for  his  apprenticeship,  that  his  father 
was  displeased  with  it,  and  the  lad  was  taken 
home  again.  A  single  circumstance  at  this  point 
came  in  to  decide  the  whole  matter;  owing  to 
this  alone,  Benjamin  Franklin  was  put  in  the  way 
of  becoming  widely  useful  to  his  own  generation, 
and  illustrious  before  the  world.  He  had  a  passion 
for  reading.  That  was  the  golden  key  which  un- 


YOUTH  AND   APPRENTICESHIP.  15 

locked  his  whole  future.  All  the  money  he  could 
earn  he  spent  in  buying  books.  He  took  especial 
delight  in  voyages.  The  first  books  he  bought 
were  Bunyan's  works,  in  small  volumes.  These 
he  afterwards  sold,  to  get  the  money  to  buy  R. 
Burton's  "Historical  Collections,"  in  all,  forty 
little  volumes.  He  read  the  greater  part  of  his 
father's  library,  which  was  made  up  of  volumes 
on  theology,  and  was  of  a  dry,  argumentative 
character.  He  said  he  had  often  regretted  that 
at  that  particular  time  more  proper  books  had  not 
been  thrown  in  his  way,  especially  as  he  was  not 
to  study  afterward  for  the  ministry.  He  found 
Plutarch's  Lives  among  his  father's  books,  and 
devoured  them ;  many  a  promising  lad  has  done 
it  before  and  since,  and  Franklin  confessed  the 
great  benefit  he  received  from  the  book.  He 
mentions,  likewise,  a  book  written  by  De  Foe, 
styled  an  "Essay  on  Projects,"  and  one,  in  par 
ticular,  written  by  the  famous  Cotton  Mather, 
called  "  An  Essay  to  do  Good."  Much  and  last 
ing  good  it  did  in  his  case,  certainly.  He  ad 
mitted  that  it  gave  him  "a  turn  of  thinking," 
and  had  an  influence  on  some  of  the  future  events 
of  his  life. 

Seeing  how  he  liked  books  and  reading,  his 


16  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

father  resolved  to  make  him  a  printer.     This  was 
the  long  and  decisive  step  in  his  career.     One  son, 
James,  was  already  of  that  trade,  and  had  returned 
from  England  not  a  long  time  before,  with  press 
and  other  implements,  to  set  up  business  in  Bos 
ton.     Benjamin  admits  that  he  liked  the  idea  of 
that  trade  much  better  than  his  father's,  although 
he  could  not  yet  wholly  give  up   the   sea.     To 
make   it   secure  as  soon  as   possible,  his   father 
made  haste  to  bind  him  to  service  to  the  elder 
brother.     Benjamin  resisted   the   plan   for  some 
time,  but  was  at  length  persuaded,  and  put  his 
own   name   to    the   legal   indenture,   being    but 
twelve  years  old  at  the  time  of  doing  it.     This 
instrument  held  him  to  serve  his  brother  James, 
at  the  printer's  trade,  until   he  should   become 
twenty-one  years  old;  but,  according  to  custom, 
he  was  to  have  journeyman's  wages  the  last  year. 
He  took  hold  in  earnest,  and  made  such  pro 
gress  at  his  new  trade  that  he  was  soon  of  real 
value  to  his  brother's  business.     In  his  new  situa 
tion  he  was  thrown  in  the  way  of  procuring  better 
books,    and  more   of  them.     A   friendship   con 
tracted  with  the  booksellers'  apprentices  of  the 
town  enabled  him,  from  time  to  time,  to  borrow 
a  small  volume,  which  he  always  returned  soon, 


YOUTH   AND    APPRENTICESHIP.  17 

and  clean.  Other  borrowers  iniglit  take  a  useful 
hint  from  their  great  exemplar,  and  save  a  great 
deal  of  hard  feeling.  He  used  to  sit  up  in  his 
chamber,  very  often  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
night,  reading,  so  as  to  return  in  the  morning  the 
book  he  had  borrowed  the  evening  before,  lest  it 
should  be  missed  from  the  bookseller's  shop. 
There  was  a  merchant  in  Boston  then,  Matthew 
Adams  by  name,  who  was  in  the  habit  of  calling 
in  at  the  printing  office  of  James  Franklin ;  he 
had  a  good  store  of  books,  and,  seeing  how  fond 
the  printer  lad  was  of  reading,  generously  invited 
him  to  come  and  see  his  library,  offering  to  lend 
him  whatever  books  he  wanted  to  read. 

He  tried  his  hand  at  writing  poetry  about  this 
time,  and  his  brother  rather  encouraged  him  to 
continue  with  it ;  he  composed  a  couple  of  bal 
lads,  one  of  them  called  "  The  Light  House  Tra 
gedy,"  and  the  other  a  sailor's  song,  on  the  cap 
ture  of  one  Teach,  a  pirate  of  the  day,  who  was 
nicknamed  "Blackbeard."  Franklin  himself  af 
terward  admitted  that  they  were  "  wretched  stuff." 
When  they  were  printed,  his  brother  -sent  him 
around  town  to  peddle  them.  Of  the  former  he 
sold  a  very  large  number,  and  he  was  made  some 
what  vain  in  consequence;  but  his  father,  who 


18  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

had  good  hard  sense,  criticised  his  ballads  without 
mercy,  and  wound  up  with  telling  him  that 
"versemakers  were  generally  heggars."  This  ut 
terly  discouraged  the  youth's  ambition  in  that 
direction.  He  says  he  "escaped  being  a  poet, 
and  probably  a  very  bad  one." 

All  this,  however,  had  no  effect  to  dissuade 
him  from  his  resolution  to  acquire  skill  in  express 
ing  his  thoughts  in  good  prose.  There  was  a  lad 
in  town  named  John  Collins,  who  was  a  close 
friend  of  young  Franklin.  Both  loved  to  argue, 
and  were  fond  of  disputing,  although  Franklin 
admitted  when  he  grew  wiser  that  it  was  a  bad 
habit  in  a  man,  and  very  apt  to  spoil  conversation, 
to  sour  friendship,  and  to  disgust  the  company ; 
he  afterward  observed  that  few  persons  were  ad 
dicted  to  it  beside  lawyers  and  collegians.  Col 
lins  and  himself  became  concerned  in  an  argu 
ment  about  the  propriety  of  educating  females, 
and  their  natural  ability  for  study ;  his  friend 
professing  to  believe  the  other  sex  intellectually 
inferior  to  ours,  and  Franklin  maintaining  the 
contrary.  Collins  rather  vanquished  the  future 
philosopher  with  the  greater  flow  of  his  words, 
while  the  latter  still  remained  unconvinced  by  his 
reasons.  To  place  the  matter  on  its  merits  solely, 


YOUTH  AND   APPRENTICESHIP.  19 

after  they  separated,  Franklin  put  down  his  argu 
ments  on  paper,  in  as  clear  phrases  as  he  could 
command,  and  copied  and  sent  them  to  his  oppo 
nent.  Collins  read  and  answered  them,  and  Frank 
lin  replied.  They  had  been  disputing  in  this  style 
to  the  number  of  three  or  four  letters,  when  the 
lad's  father  chanced  to  come  across  Ms  papers,  and 
read  them.  Soon  afterward,  he  sat  down  and 
talked  with  his  son  about  what  he  had  discovered ; 
he  did  not  offer  to  argue  the  question  involved, 
either  one  way  or  another,  but  he  touched  upon 
his  son's  style  of  writing,  observing  that,  although 
he  clearly  had  the  advantage  of  his  opponent  in 
punctuation  and  spelling,  he  fell  far  short  of  him 
in  style  of  expression,  in  clearness,  and  in  his 
method  of  discussion.  The  criticism  came  in 
good  time ;  it  set  the  youth  to  thinking  on  the 
faults  of  his  composition,  and  aroused  his  resolu 
tion  to  make  himself  a  clear  and  effective  writer. 
He  fell  in  with  an  odd  volume  of  the  British 
"  Spectator,"  then, — a  happy  coincidence  indeed. 
It  was  the  first  time  he  had  ever  seen  any  part  of 
those  delightful  essays.  He  bought  the  volume, 
and  read  it  again  and  again  with  much  delight. 
He  liked  its  easy  style  of  writing  so  well,  that  he 
resolved  to  try  and  imitate  it.  To  this  end,  he 


20  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

began  with  a  single  number,  or  essay,  in  the  vol 
ume  ;  mastering  the  thoughts  or  sentiments  of  each 
sentence,  and  noting  them  down  on  paper,  he  laid 
them  by  for  a  few  days,  and  then  put  them  in  the 
best  language  of  his  own  which  he  could  com 
mand,  and  compared  what  he  had  done  with  what 
the  writers  of  the  "  Spectator"  had  done.  In  this 
way,  he  was  really  writing  up  to  the  "Spectator" 
standard,  the  famous  authors  of  that  collection  of 
essays  furnishing  him  with  criticisms,  hints,  and 
models,  as  he  went  along.  In  no  other  way  could 
he  so  readily  detect  his  own  faults,  or  hope  to 
correct  them.  This  plan  he  pursued  with  indus 
try  for  some  time,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  his  own  improvement.  To  gain  a  wider 
command  of  words,  he  turned  some  of  the  "Spec 
tator's"  tales  into  verse ;  and  afterwards,  when  he 
had  quite  forgotten  the  "Spectator's"  prose, 
turned  them  back  again  into  prose  of  his  own. 

In  order  to  exercise  his  mind  in  the  art  of 
methodizing  and  arranging  his  subjects  as  they 
came  up  for  treatment,  he  would  mix  up  the  hints 
he  had  jotted  down  on  paper,  and  some  time  after 
ward  endeavor  to  arrange  them  for  himself,  so  as 
to  present  them  in  the  most  obvious  order  and 
with  the  greatest  force.  He  labored  hard  at  his 


YOUTH   AND   APPEENTICESHIP.  21 

self-imposed  tasks  in  English  composition,  but  he 
was  resolved  to  become  "  a  tolerable  English 
writer,"  and  persevered  until  he  met  with  success. 
He  was  helping  himself  to  an  education ;  many  a 
youth  of  his  years  refuses,  to  do  anything  for  his 
own  improvement,  when  he  has  everybody  to  help 
him.  The  time  he  devoted  to  this  kind  of  self- 
instruction,  as  well  as  to  his  reading,  was  either 
at  night  or  before  going  to  work  in  the  morning ; 
on  Sundays,  too,  he  went  quietly  to  the  printing 
office,  preferring  not  to  attend  public  worship,  and 
there  gave  the  day  to  his  reading  and  writing 
exercises.  His  father  would  have  expected  him 
to  attend  church,  if  he  had  been  living  at  home ; 
but  being  apprenticed  to  his  brother,  he  had  in  a 
measure  passed  beyond  the  reach  of  parental 
restraints.  He  acknowledges  that  he  considered 
going  to  church  to  be  a  duty,  but  that  he  could 
not  afford  time  to  practice  it. 

Time  passed,  the  apprentice  closely  pursuing 
his  studies  and  his  work.  "When  he  was  sixteen, 
he  fell  in  with  a  book  that  recommended  a  vege 
table  diet,  and  determined  to  make  an  experiment 
of  that  style  of  living.  His  brother  was  not  a 
married  man,  and  was  therefore  compelled  to 
board  out  his  apprentices.  It  made  trouble  in 


"2'2  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIX. 

the  family  arrangements  for   one  apprentice   to 
decline  eating  meat,  and  Franklin  read  his  vege 
tarian  work  more  carefully,  to  learn  bow  to  cook 
the  various  dishes  he  wanted  for  himself;  in  a 
short  time  he  qualified  himself  to  make  hasty 
puddings  and  other  sorts  of  puddings,  to  boil  rice 
and   potatoes,  and  to   cook   many  other  simple 
dishes.     Then  he  went  to  his  brother  and  made 
the  following  proposal, — if  the  latter  would  give 
him  each  week  only  half  the  amount  he  paid  for 
his  board,  he  would  undertake  to  board  himself! 
This  from  a  boy  of  sixteen  !     His  brother  readily 
accepted  a  proposal  like  that;   and  even  out  of 
that  half  allowance,  Franklin  saved  still  a  half, 
with  which  he  purchased  books.     He  also  saved 
the  time  he  otherwise  would  have  taken  in  going 
from    the    office    to    his    meals,   and   returning. 
"\Yhile  his  brother  and  the  rest  of  the  apprentices 
were  gone,  he  ate  his  frugal  meal,  often  consist 
ing  of  no  more  than  a  biscuit,  or  a  slice  of  bread, 
or  a  tart,  and  a  glass  of  water,  and  then  applied 
himself  to  study  until  their  return.     He  felt  his 
head  to  be  clearer  and  his  apprehension  much 
quicker,    from   practising    this    temperance.      In 
these    odd    scraps   of   time,    snatched    from  his 
meals,  he  resolutely  studied  Arithmetic,  of  which 


YOUTH    AXD   APPRENTICESHIP.  23 

he  felt  that  he  was  wretchedly  ignorant,  and  pro 
ceeded  some  way  into  Navigation.  He  like 
read  at  this  time  so  deep  a  book  as  -Locke  on 
Human  Understanding,"  and  another  entitled 
"The  Art  of  Thinking."  English  Grammar  he 
took  up,  too ;  and  an  article  on  Logic,  at  the  end 
of  the  book  out  of  which  he  studied,  led  him  to 
an  acquaintance  with  the  writings  of  Socrates, 
and  especially  with  the  mode  adopted  by  that 
philosopher  of  arguing  topics,  which  was  by  ask 
ing  questions  like  an  humble  inquirer.  In  conse 
quence  of  this  acquaintance  with  the  Greek  sage, 
he  dropped  his  former  style  of  arguing  with 
positive  denial  and  plump  dogmatism,  and  took 
to  the  "  Socratic  Method,"  which  he  followed 
ever  after,  and  found  it  of  the  widest  use  and 
efficacy.  Instead  of  arousing  those  with  whom 
he  did  not  agree  to  open  antagonism,  he  put 
them  questions  which  would  draw  them  out  in 
definitions  and  concessions, — they  not  seeing 
whither  his  questions  tended, — and  then  obtained 
his  victory  by  their  own  help.  He  thought  some 
times  that  neither  his  cause  nor  himself  was 
fairly  entitled  to  such  victories. 

His  improvement  now  was  rapid  and  percept 
ible.     He  could  not  have  failed  to  make  progress, 


24  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

with  this  thorough  self-searching.  About  the 
year  1720,  his  brother  published  a  newspaper, 
the  second  that  had  been  printed  in  America. 
It  was  called  the  "New  England  Courant."  His 
friends  tried  to  dissuade  him  from  such  a  project, 
thinking  that  one  newspaper  was  enough  for  the 
country ;  but  he  persevered,  and  young  Benjamin 
was  employed  as  a  carrier  to  the  subscribers. 
He  would  first  work  at  the  types,  then  at  the 
press,  and  finally  carry  around  the  paper.  See 
ing  that  some  persons  whom  he  knew  began  to 
contribute  short  articles  to  the  "  Courant,"  the 
ambitious  carrier  conceived  the  bold  idea  of 
writing  for  its  columns  too.  He  was  afraid  his 
brother  James  would  refuse  to  admit  any  article 
which  he  knew  to  be  his,  so  he  artfully  disguised 
his  hand,  wrote  his  communication,  and  placed  it 
under  the  door  over  night.  In  the  morning  it 
was  picked  up,  and  submitted  to  those  who  were 
in  the  habit  of  dropping  in  and  passing  judgment 
on  the  articles  written.  Franklin  was  greatly 
pleased  to  listen  to  their  favorable  criticisms,  and 
especially  to  hear  them  guess  what  respectable 
man  of  the  town  might  be  the  author!  This 
unexpected  success  so  pleased  him  that  he  re 
solved  to  begin  and  write  for  the  press  regularly, 


YOUTH    AND    APPRENTICESHIP.  25 

taking  all  the  pains  possible  with  his  productions. 
He  kept  his  secret  well  until  his  "  fund  of  sense," 
as  he  styled  it,  was  exhausted,  and  then  he  made 
himself  known  to  his  friends  as  the  real  author 
about  whom  they  had  indulged  so  many  sur 
mises. 

His  brother  James,  however,  did  not  seem  to 
like  it  so  well,  and  perhaps  thought  Ben.  would 
be  made  vain  by  the  good  opinions  of  others;  and 
it  is  recorded  that  with  this  circumstance  the 
trouble  between  the  two  brothers  began.  James 
felt  that  he  was  the  master  of  Benjamin,  because 
the  latter  had  been  bound  out  to  him  after,  legal 
forms ;  while  Benjamin  thought  that,  even  if  he 
were  apprenticed  to  his  brother,  the  latter  should 
have  given  him  kinder  treatment,  because  he  was 
his  brother.  When  they  fell  into  disputes, — 
which  came  to  be  pretty  often, — their  troubles 
were  carried  before  their  father,  to  whom  each 
pleaded  his  own  case ;  and  Benjamin  having  the 
decision  made  in  his  favor  pretty  often,  this  fact 
only  served  to  widen  instead  of  to  heal  the 
breach  between  them.  Ben.  began  to  feel  the 
weight  of  the  yoke  of  his  apprenticeship,  and  to 
wish  it  lifted  from  his  neck  altogether.  At  any 
rate,  the  tyrannical  treatment  from  which  he  then 


26  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

suffered,  excited  his  hatred  of  tyranny  from  that 
time  forward  through  his  whole  career. 

About  this  time,  or  very  soon  after,  an  article 
in  the  Franklin  newspaper  gave  great  offence  to 
the  Massachusetts  Assembly.  James  was  arrested 
by  warrant  of  the  Speaker  of  the  House,  publicly 
censured  by  him,  and  then  thrown  into  prison  for 
a  month,  because  he  would  not  make  known  the 
writer  of  the  offensive  article. 

Benjamin  was  likewise  arrested  and  brought  be 
fore  the  Governor's  Council;  he  was  merely  ad 
monished  by  them,  probably  not  being  thought 
responsible  for  the  fault,  inasmuch  as  he  was  but 
an  apprentice.  While  his  brother  James  lay  in 
prison,  of  course  he  had  the  management  of  the 
paper;  he  confesses  that  he  "made  bold  to  give 
our  rulers  some  rubs  in  it,"  which  his  brother  was 
not  at  all  displeased  with,  but  which  led  to  his 
being  considered  by  others  as  "  a  youth  that  had 
a  turn  for  libelling  and  satire."  When  his  brother 
was  at  length  discharged,  it  was  ordered  by  the 
assembly  that  "James  Franklin  should  no  longer 
print  the  newspaper  called  <  The  New  England 
Courant.' '  It  was  talked  over  among  the  friends 
of  the  paper  what  was  best  to  do ;  some  were  for 
changing  its  name,  so  that  "James  Franklin" 


YOUTH    AND   APPRENTICESHIP.  27 

could  go  on  with  its  management;  but  as  that 
course  would  be  attended  with  some  inconveni 
ences,  it  was  finally  resolved  to  let  the  paper  be 
continued  under  its  old  name,  with  Benjamin 
Franklin  as  its  manager  and  controller.  In  order 
to  make  the  whole  transaction  legal  and  fair, 
James  returned  to  Benjamin  his  indenture,  with 
a  full  discharge  written  on  the  back  of  it,  which 
could  be  exhibited  in  case  of  threatened  trouble. 
But  Benjamin  was  nevertheless  to  sign  new  papers, 
binding  himself  to  his  brother  for  the  remainder 
of  his  time ;  all  these  were  to  be  kept  private. 
And  in  this  way  the  "New  England  Courant" 
was  printed  by  Benjamin  Franklin  for  several 
months ;  thus  was  the  youth  launched  on  the  open 
sea  where  he  was  to  gain  a  livelihood  and  a  name. 
Pretty  soon  a  fresh  quarrel  broke  out  between 
the  brothers.  Benjamin  declared  he  would  leave, 
and  produced  his  elder  brother's  discharge,  written 
on  the  back  of  the  original  indenture,  as  clear 
proof  of  his  right  to  do  so.  He  dared  his  brother 
to  show  the  private  agreement  to  anybody,  well 
knowing  its  worthlessness.  Franklin  confessed 
that  this  was  clearly  wrong,  as  taking  an  unfair 
advantage ;  but  he  said  he  was  provoked  to  it  by 
the  blows  which  his  brother  dealt  out  on  him  in 


28  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

one  of  his  many  fits  of  passion.  James  Franklin, 
however,  was  not  at  other  times  an  ill-natured 
man,  Benjamin  says;  "  perhaps,  "added  he,  very 
candidly,  "  I  was  too  saucy  and  provoking.'* 

They  separated  at  once,  after  that ;  but  James 
took  care  to  go  around  to  the  other  printing  offices 
in  town,  and  influence  the  masters  not  to  give 
Benjamin  work;  and  it  was  this  single  circum 
stance  that  drove  him  so  far  from  his  friends  as 
New  York,  at  first,  and  afterward  to  Philadelphia. 
He  did  not  feel  as  bad  about  turning  his  back  on 
Boston  either,  as  he  otherwise  might,  had  he  not 
come  under  the  displeasure  of  the  Government  by 
the  course  of  his  newspaper ;  and  he  said  he  feared, 
too,  that  if  he  stayed  there  longer,  he  would  "  soon 
bring  himself  into  scrapes."  He  was  looked  upon 
by  many  persons  already  as  "  an  infidel  and  an 
atheist,"  because  of  his  disputes  on  religious 
matters. 

His  father,  however,  took  sides  now  with  his 
elder  brother,  and  would  have  kept  him  at  home 
in  Boston  until  his  indenture  regularly  expired. 
This  led  the  youth  to  take  the  resolution  to  run 
away.  His  friend  Collins,  with  whom  he  used  to 
debate  questions  on  paper,  aided  him  in  his  pur 
pose.  Collins  made  an  agreement  for  him  with  the 


YOUTH    AND    APPRENTICESHIP.  29 

captain  of  a  sloop,  bound  for  New  York,  to  take 
him  on  board,  saying  that  he  was  a  young  man  of 
his  acquaintance  who  had  got  into  trouble  with 
a  girl  of  bad  reputation,  and  who  her  parents 
insisted  should  marry  her;  in  consequence  of 
which,  he  could  neither  make  his  appearance  in 
public,  nor  come  down  to  his  vessel  except  pri 
vately.  To  raise  the  money  needed  to  defray  his 
passage,  Franklin  sold  some  of  his  books,  and  was 
taken  on  board  without  the  knowledge  of  any 
one.  With  a  favorable  wind  he  was  on  the  water 
but  three  days,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  found 
himself  in  the  streets  of  New  York,  three  hundred 
miles  from  home,  but  seventeen  years  of  age, 
knowing  no  one  in  the  whole  place,  bearing  no 
letter  of  recommendation  to  any  person,  and  with 
as  little  money  as  possible  in  his  pocket.  This 
was  in  October,  in  the  year  1723. 

Benjamin  Franklin  now  had  his  own  way  to 
make.  He  chanced  to  be  one  of  the  few  runaway 
lads  who  "came  to  something"  afterwards. 

He  was  by  this  time  pretty  well  cured  of  his 
propensity  for  the  sea,  and  began  to  look  around 
for  work  to  do.  There  was  a  Mr.  "William  Brad 
ford  in  town,  a  printer,  who  had  come  from  Phila 
delphia  not  long  before  in  consequence  of  a 


30  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

quarrel  with  the  Pennsylvania  Governor,  and  to 
him  young  Franklin  forthwith  presented  himself. 
The  kind  stranger  received  him  in  a  friendly 
manner,  told  him  he  could  give  him  nothing  to 
do  there,  but  suggested  that  he  might  find  a  place 
at  Philadelphia  with  his  son,  whose  best  hand  had 
recently  died.  Franklin  was  grateful  enough  for 
the  hint,  and  immediately  set  about  acting  on  it. 
He  went  on  board  a  boat  at  once  for  Amboy, 
leaving  directions  for  his  chest  to  come  round  by 
sea  after  him.  His  boating  experience  was  un 
pleasant,  a  squall  overtook  them,  tore  in  pieces 
their  wretched  sails,  and  drove  them  on  Long 
Island.  A  drunken  Dutchman  fell  overboard, 
whom  Franklin  pulled  out  of  the  water  by  the 
hair  of  his  head.  The  fellow  drew  a  book  out  of 
his  pocket,  and  asked  the  lad  to  dry  it  for  him ; 
Franklin  was  delighted  to  find  it  was  his  dear  old 
friend,  John  Bunyan,  "  in  Dutch,  finely  printed  on 
good  paper,  copper  cuts,  and  a  dress  better  than 
he  had  ever  seen  it  wear  in  its  own  language."  A 
printer's  eye  for  everything,  The  little  craft  lay 
at  anchor  off  the  Island  all  that  day  and  the  follow 
ing  night,  the  sea  rolling  so  that  it  was  impossible 
to  get  help  from  the  shore.  They  all  crowded  in 
•inder  the  hatches  that  night,  wet  and  hungry  and 


YOUTH   AND    APPRENTICESHIP.  31 

feverish ;  the  next  day,  however,  the  wind  shifted, 
and  by  night  they  reached  Amhoy.  They  had 
been  thirty  hours  on  the  water,  without  anything 
to  eat,  and  with  no  drink  but  a  bottle  of  rum. 

Franklin  had  taken  cold  and  felt  fever  upon 
him.  He  had  somewhere  read  of  copious  draughts 
of  water  being  efficient  to  break  up  a  fever,  and 
resolved  to  try  the  remedy.  During  the  night  he 
sweat  profusely,  and  felt  so  much  better  in  the 
morning  as  to  be  able  to  set  out  on  foot,  after 
crossing  by  the  ferry,  for  Burlington,  a  distance 
of  fifty  miles ;  there  he  expected  to  find  convey 
ance  by  water  to  Philadelphia.  The  homeless  boy 
had  hard  luck  of  it.  It  began  to  rain,  and  kept 
raining  all  day  long ;  so  that  he  was  really  soaked 
before  he  had  gone  many  miles,  and  obliged,  by 
noon,  feeling  extremely  tired  too,  to  call  at  a 
wayside  tavern  for  lodgings,  where  he  rested  him 
self  for  the  night.  He  became  now  very  home 
sick,  and  many  times  wished  he  had  never  thought 
of  leaving  home.  The  people  in  the  house  asked 
him  a  good  many  close  questions,  and  he  began 
to  fear  lest  he  should  be  thought  what  he  really 
was, — a  runaway  apprentice,  and  apprehended  and 
sent  back  whence  he  came.  But  he  pushed  on  the 
next  morning,  and  walked  that  day  to  within  ten 


32  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

miles  of  Burlington,  stopping  for  the  night  at  a 
house  kept  by  Dr.  Brown,  an  infidel,  who  became 
much  interested  in  talking  on  various  subjects 
with  him. 

Next  morning  he  started  for  Burlington.  He 
arrived  there  to  find  the  regular  boats  to  Phila 
delphia  just  gone.  It  was  then  Saturday,  and  no 
more  were  to  leave  until  Tuesday.  He  went 
straight  back  to  an  old  woman  in  Burlington  of 
whom  he  had  purchased  gingerbread  on  his  arri 
val,  and  asked  her  frankly  what  was  best  to  do. 
She  offered  to  lodge  him  until  the  next  regular 
boat  left ;  and  on  afterwards  finding  out  that  he 
was  a  printer  by  trade,  she  tried  to  induce  him  to 
stay  there  and  pursue  his  craft.  She  was  exceed 
ingly  kind  to  the  youth,  giving  him  some  ox-cheek 
for  his  dinner,  and  making  him  as  contented  as 
she  knew  how.  While  he  chanced  to  be  strolling 
by  the  river  side  at  evening,  a  boat  drew  near, 
having  several  passengers  aboard.  He  was  told 
she  was  bound  for  Philadelphia,  and  asked  the 
boatmen  to  take  him  aboard.  There  was  no  wind, 
and  they  were  obliged  to  tug  at  the  oars  all  the 
way.  They  even  pulled  past  the  city,  not  know 
ing  they  had  reached  it.  A  little  past  midnight 
some  of  the  passengers  raised  the  question  whether 


YOUTH   AND   APPRENTICESHIP.  33 

they  had  not  gone  by ;  the  result  of  the  dispute 
was,  they  put  the  boat  toward  the  shore,  worked 
into  a  creek,  made  fast  to  an  old  fence  from  which 
they  took  the  rails  to  build  a  fire,  and  stayed  there 
until  the  light  of  morning  revealed  the  truth  to 
their  eyes.  They  were  beyond  Philadelphia,  as 
some  of  them  supposed.  Immediately  they  got 
the  boat  out  from  the  creek  and  pulled  back  for 
the  town ;  where  they  arrived  between  eight  and 
nine  o'clock. 

Franklin  landed  on  Market  street  wharf  on  a 
Sunday  morning,  in  his  working  clothes,  dirty 
from  the  long  voyage,  his  pockets  stuffed  out 
with  shirts  and  stockings,  and  himself  a  stranger 
to  everybody,  and  knowing  not  where  to  go  to 
seek  a  lodging. 


34  BENJAMIN    FEANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  II. 

AT    HIS    TEADE. 

~^W"N  such  plight  he  entered  the  city  where  he 
was  to  lay  the  foundation  of  his  future  fame, 
.1  and  live  to  enjoy  its  most  satisfying  rewards. 
He  had  one  dollar  in  his  pocket  beside  a  shilling's 
worth  of  copper  coins.  The  latter  he  gave  to  the 
boatmen  for  bringing  him  from  Burlington  ;  they 
refused  to  take  it,  because  he  had  rowed  his  way 
along ;  but  he  persisted  until  they  took  what  he 
offered.  "Walking  along  the  street,  he  met  a  lad 
with  bread,  and  asked  where  he  got  it ;  being  di 
rected  to  a  baker's,  he  at  once  entered  the  shop 
and  called  for  some  biscuit,  thinking  the  bakers 
of  Philadelphia  made  up  their  bread  after  the 
same  patterns  and  styles  with  their  brethren  of 
Boston.  The  baker  kept  no  such  article  as  biscuit. 
He  then  called  for  a  three  penny  loaf,  but  the 
baker  had  nothing  like  that.  Finally,  bidding  the 
man  give  him  three  cents'  worth  of  such  bread  as 


AT    HIS   TRADE.  35 

he  had,  lie  received  "three  great  puffy  rolls,"  as 
he  afterwards  described  them,  and  walked  off. 
His  pockets  being  filled  with  dirty  clothes,  as 
already  mentioned,  he  put  a  roll  under  each  arm, 
and  ate  the  third  as  he  strolled  up  the  streets.  In 
this  style  he  walked  up  Market  to  Fourth  street, 
and  chanced  to  pass  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Read, 
whose  daughter  Sarah,  whom  he  afterwards  mar 
ried,  was  standing  in  the  door,  amused  with  the 
awkward  appearance  of  the  youth. 

Reaching  Fourth  street,  he  turned  and  walked 
down  Chestnut  and  part  of  Walnut  streets,  still 
engaged  with  his  "  puffy  "  roll,  and  came  around 
at  last  at  the  wharf  whence  he  started.  He  went 
on  board  the  boat  he  had  come  on,  and  got  some 
water  to  wash  his  bread  down ;  and  finding  a 
w^oman,  with  her  child,  still  on  board,  waiting  to 
go  on,  he  gave  her  the  remaining  two  rolls,  and 
felt  as  if  he  had  done  his  duty.  Once  more  he 
sallied  forth  up  the  street.  Large  numbers  of 
persons  were  thronging  the  walks,  and  he  fell  in 
with  the  current,  willing  to  go  wherever  it  might 
take  him.  He  was  borne  into  the  Quaker  Meet- 
ing-House,  near  the  Market,  where  he  sat  down 
in  the  midst  of  the  silent  worshippers,  and,  hear 
ing  not  a  word  spoken  for  a  long  time,  finally  fell 


36  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

asleep.  Nor  did  he  awake  until  aroused  by  a 
person  who  told  him  services  were  over,  and  the 
house  was  to  be  shut  up.  This  Quaker  meeting 
house  afforded  him  the  first  sleep  he  got  in 
Philadelphia.  It  overpowered  him,  he  was  so 
worn  down  with  excessive  labor,  fasting,  and 
watchfulness,  since  he  left  JSTew  York. 

On  the  way  down  to  the  river  again,  he  fell  in 
with  a  young  Quaker  whose  face  he  liked,  and 
ventured  to  ask  him  about  a  good  tavern,  where 
a  stranger  could  get  lodgings.  "Here,"  said  the 
Quaker,  pointing  to  the  sign  of  the  Three 
Mariners'  tavern,  hard  by,  "is  a  house  where 
they  receive  strangers,  but  it  is  not  a  reputable 
one ;  if  thee  wilt  walk  with  me,  I'll  show  thee  a 
better  one."  The  Quaker  showed  him  to  the 
sign  of  the  "  Crooked  Billet,"  in  Water  street. 
This,  therefore,  was  Franklin's  first  hostelry  in 
the  City  of  Brotherly  Love.  He  took  his  dinner 
there,  and  began  to  be  afraid,  from  the  questions 
put  him,  that  his  character  would  be  suspected. 

After  dinner,  completely  tired  out,  he  asked  to 
be  shown  to  bed,  and  laid  himself  down  on  it 
without  removing  his  clothes ;  there  he  slept  til] 
six  o'clock,  when  he  was  called  to  supper.  Soon 
after  supper,  he  went  to  bed  again,  and  slept 


AT   HIS   TRADE.  37 

without  waking  until  morning.  He  needed  the 
copious  rest  he  was  taking.  Dressing  himself 
neatly,  he  went  over  to  the  printing  office  of 
Mr.  William  Bradford's  son,  to  solicit  work. 
Whom  should  he  find  there  hut  the  same  Mr. 
Bradford  he  had  met  in  New  York, — the  old 
gentleman  having  come  on  horsehack  and  arrived 
before  him.  He  introduced  young  Franklin  to 
his  son,  who  invited  him  to  take  breakfast  with 
him.  The  younger  Bradford  was  not  then  in 
want  of  a  hand  in  the  office,  hut  he  told  the 
youth  of  another  printer,  who  had  lately  set  up 
business,  and  who  would  perhaps  employ  him. 
The  name  of  the  new  printer  was  Keimer.  At 
any  rate,  Mr.  Bradford  assured  him  that,  if  he 
did  not  get  work  there,  he  might  lodge  at  his 
house,  and  he  would  give  him  a  little  work,  now 
and  then,  which  might  help  along  until  some 
thing  better  offered. 

Mr.  Bradford,  senior,  went  at  once  with  Frank 
lin  to  Keimer's  office,  and  introduced  him  thus  • 
"Neighbor,"  said  he,  "I  have  brought  to  see  you 
a  young  man  of  your  business ;  perhaps  you  may 
want  such  a  one."  Keimer  put  the  youth  a  few 
questions,  handed  him  a  "  composing  stick,"  to 
see  how  he  could  work,  and  at  once  promised  to 


38  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

give  Mm  employment,  though  just  then  he  had 
nothing  for  him  to  do.  The  office  was  wretch 
edly  stocked,  for  which  a  beginner  in  the  busi 
ness  might  have  abundant  excuse.  Franklin 
went  to  lodge  and  board  at  Bradford's  for  a  time, 
until  Keimer  should  send  for  him  to  work  off  a 
poem  he  was  then  setting  up  from  his  miserable 
stock  of  types.  He  had  ingeniously  put  the 
press  in  working  order  for  him  already.  In  a 
little  time,  Keimer  found  something  for  him  to 
do.  Both  the  printers  of  the  town  were  but  poor 
workmen,  and  had  a  meagre  stock  of  cases,  types, 
and  machinery,  with  which  to  pursue  their  occu 
pation.  Franklin  had  an  ambition  to  master  his 
trade,  and  excel  every  one  about  him  engaged  in 
it.  Bradford  was  an  illiterate  man,  while  Keimer 
was  somewhat  of  a  scholar;  the  latter  Franklin 
found  to  be  more  or  less  knavish.  He  did  not 
like  to  have  the  lad  lodge  at  Bradford's  while  he 
worked  for  him,  but  he  had  no  accommodation 
for  him  at  his  own  house,  and  finally  arranged 
the  matter  by  procuring  him  lodgings  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  Read,  the  same  man  in  whose  door 
he  passed  the  young  lady  as  he  went  along  the 
street  eating  his  roll.  His  chest  of  clothes  had 
come  round  from  New  York  by  this  time,  and  he 


AT   HIS    TRADE.  39 

said  he  now  made  a  more  respectable  appearance 
in  her  eyes  than  when  eating  his  bread. 

Here  he  lived,  working  industriously  and  mak 
ing  himself  contented.  He  tried  to  forget  Boston 
entirely,  and  let  none  of  his  friends  there  know  of 
his  whereabouts,  save  Collins.  He  saved  his 
money,  and  began  to  lay  the  foundations  of  his 
success.  One  day,  his  brother-in-law,  named 
Robert  Holmes,  who  was  captain  of  a  coaster  that 
plied  between  Boston  and  Delaware,  happening  to 
hear  of  Benjamin  while  he  was  below  at  New 
Castle,  wrote  him  a  letter,  telling  him  of  the  grief 
of  his  friends  at  his  long  absence,  pledging  him 
self  that  they  all  felt  kindly  toward  him,  and  beg 
ging  him  to  return  to  them  without  delay.  Frank 
lin  replied  to  his  letter;  but  he  told  Ms  story  in  so 
different  a  light  that  his  relative  changed  his  opin 
ion  very  greatly  of  the  cause  and  circumstances  of 
the  lad's  sudden  departure.  As  it  happened,  too, 
Governor  Keith  was  at  ISTew  Castle  at  the  time,  and 
in  company  with  Captain  Holmes  when  Franklin's 
letter  arrived.  The  latter  showed  it  to  the  Gover 
nor,  who  read  it,  asked  the  lad's  age,  and  expressed 
his  astonishment.  He  thought  him  a  boy  of  great 
promise,  who  deserved  to  be  encouraged;  spoke  of 
what  poor  printers  there  were  in  Philadelphia,  and 


40  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

held  up  the  idea  of  Franklin's  starting  in  business 
for  himself.  He  promised,  for  his  part,  to  procure 
the  public  business  for  him,  and  to  help  him  in 
every  way  he  could. 

Governor  Keith's  connection  with  the  young 
craftsman  was  of  a  strange  character,  resulting  in 
no  sort  of  profit.  Not  long  after  this  trifling 
occurrence  at  New  Castle,  the  Governor  came 
directly  over  to  Keimer's,  the  latter  hurrying  down 
stairs,  filled  with  the  idea  that  he  was  to  receive  a 
call  of  importance.  But  great  was  his  chagrin-  to 
hear  his  Excellency  inquire  for  young  Franklin. 
The  Governor  came  up,  offered  the  lad  a  profusion 
of  civilities  and  compliments,  blamed  him  very 
much  for  not  having  made  himself  known  before, 
and,  right  before  the  face  of  Keimer,  invited  him 
to  go  to  a  tavern  and  taste  some  madeira  with 
him.  Franklin  said  he  was  as  much  astonished 
as  Keimer  could  have  been  ;  however,  to  the  tavern 
he  went,  and  there  the  Governor  opened  his  plan  for 
him  over  the  madeira.  He  would  have  the  youth 
set  up  in  business  forthwith ;  he  offered  him  all 
the  assistance  possible ;  a  gentleman  with  him  from 
Delaware  also  offered  to  get  as  much  of  the  busi 
ness  from  that  government  as  he  could ;  and  it  ap 
peared  as  if  fortune  had  come  in  for  him  at  flood  tide 


AT   HIS   TRADE.  41 

The  lad  expressed  doubts  as  to  how  his  father 
would  view  the  matter,  for  on  him  he  would  have 
to  rely  for  aid  in  stocking  his  office ;  but  the 
Governor  promised  to  give  him  a  letter  to  his 
father,  explaining  the  whole  project,  and  especially 
setting  forth  its  advantages.  He  thought  it  all 
over  well,  and  then  resolved  to  return  home  at 
once  and  see  his  father.  It  was  kept  a  secret  in 
the  meantime,  however,  and  he  remained  at  work 
with  Keimer  as  before.  JSTow  and  then,  he  was 
invited  to  go  and  dine  with  the  Governor,  an 
honor  which  he  duly  prized.  A  little  vessel  was 
up  for  Boston,  about  the  last  of  April.  Franklin 
took  his  leave  of  Keimer,  saying  merely  that  he 
was  going  home  to  see  his  friends.  The  Governor 
gave  him  his  letter,  as  he  had  promised,  and  in  it 
showed  the  lad's  father  what  an  opportunity  there 
was  for  the  latter  to  make  his  fortune  in  Phila 
delphia. 

The  passage  to  Boston  consumed  two  weeks. 
The  vessel  ran  on  a  shoal  going  down  the  bay, 
and  sprung  a  leak ;  the  weather  was  rough  after 
they  got  to  sea,  and  Franklin  took  his  turn  at  the 
pumps  with  the  rest.  It  was  seven  months  since 
he  ran  away  from  Boston,  in  which  time  his 

friends  had  not  heard  a  syllable  of  him ;  for  his 
4* 


42  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

brother-in-law  Holmes  had  not  yet  got  back,  and 
he  had  written  nothing  of  him,  either.  The  family 
were  vastly  surprised  at  his  return ;  yet  they  were 
all  glad  enough  to  see  him,  save  his  brother 
James.  Benjamin  went  over  to  his  printing  office 
to  see  him ;  he  was  much  better  clad  than  when 
he  used  to  work  for  him,  having  a  new  suit  of 
clothes  on,  a  watch  in  his  pocket,  and  nearly  five 
pounds  in  money.  Franklin  said  his  brother 
looked  him  all  over,  and  turned  to  his  work 
again.  The  hands  in  the  office  asked  him  all 
manner  of  questions ;  what  kind  of  a  country  it 
was  where  he  had  been,  and  how  he  liked  it. 
One  of  them  wanted  to  know  what  sort  of  money 
they  had  there ;  whereupon  Franklin  drew  out 
from  his  well-lined  pocket  a  handful  of  silver 
coins,  and  spread  it  out  temptingly  before  them. 
It  was  a  new  sight  for  them,  paper  being  the  only 
money  used  in  Boston  at  that  time.  He  pulled 
out  his  watch  and  showed  them,  too ;  and  finally, 
he  gave  them  a  dollar  to  drink,  and  took  his  leave 
of  them  all.  His  brother  was  sullen  and  silent  all 
the  while ;  in  fact,  he  was  very  mad  about  the 
visit ;  and  when  their  mother  afterward  spoke  to 
him  of  being  reconciled  to  Benjamin,  he  declared 
in  most  violent  language  that  he  never  would  be 


AT   HIS   TRADE.  43 

reconciled  to  him  in  the  world,  for  he  had  been 
insulted  before  his  workmen  by  the  runaway  in  a 
manner  which  he  could  never  forget  nor  forgive. 
But  the  younger  brother  lived  to  do  the  elder  a 
good  turn,  in  after  years,  and  to  assist  him  when 
he  most  needed  help,  and  when  it  was  most  wel 
come. 

He  handed  Governor  Keith's  letter  to  his  father, 
which  occasioned  the  latter  a  still  greater  surprise. 
About  this  time,  too,  Capt.  Holmes  arrived  home, 
and  the  father  read  the  letter  to  him,  inquiring 
very  particularly  of  Sir  William  Keith,  and  ex 
pressing  his   astonishment  that  he   should  have 
thus  offered  to  befriend  a  youth,  who  would  not 
come  to  man's  estate  for  three  years.     Holmes 
said  all  he  could  in  favor  of  Keith  and  the  project, 
but  it  did  not  influence  the  strong  judgment  of 
the  parent ;  he  set  his  face  against  the  whole  plan, 
and  at  once  sat  down  and  wrote  a  letter  to  the 
Governor,  politely  thanking  him  for  the  interest 
he  had  seen  fit  to  take  in  his  son,  but  positively 
declining  to  give  him  any  aid  at  that  time  in  be 
ginning  business  for  himself;  he  said  he  was  much 
too  young  to   undertake   the  responsibilities  of 
business,  and  it  would   require  a  good  deal  of 


44    •  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

money,  too,  which  a  youth  was  not  yet  prepared 
to  manage. 

His   father  would  not  deny,  however,  that  he 
was  pleased  with  the  marks  of  attention  shown  the 
son ;    and  he  readily  consented  to  his  return  to 
Philadelphia,  especially  as  there  was  such  deep- 
seated  ill   feeling  toward  him   on  his  "brother's 
part,  and  he  had  already  shown  how  well  he  could 
do  when  left  to   swim   for  himself.     His  father 
gave  him  some  good  advice  before  he  went;  en 
joining  him  "to  behave  respectfully  to  the  people 
there,  endeavor  to  obtain  the  general  esteem,  and 
avoid   lampooning   and   libelling,"   to  which   he 
thought  the  young  man  was  too  much  inclined. 
He  assured  him  that,  if  he  was  prudent,  by  the 
time  he   became   one-and-twenty  he  might  save 
enough  to  set  himself  up  in  business ;  and  that  if 
he  should  have  nearly  enough  money  for  that  pur 
pose,  but  not  quite  enough,  he  would  then  make 
up  the  difference  to  him.     This  was  all  his  father 
would  then  do  for  him.     His  parents  both  pre 
sented  him  with  little   gifts,  as  tokens   of  their 
affection,  and  he  left  home  again,  embarking  for 
New  York.     This  time  he  went  with  their  bless 
ings  and  prayers. 

The  vessel  put  in  at  Newport,  where  Benjamin 


AT   HIS   TRADE.  45 

called  to  see  his  brother  John,  who  was  settled 
there.  He  was  received  very  cordially,  having 
always  been  a  favorite  with  this  brother.  An 
acquaintance  of  this  brother,  named  Yernon,  learn 
ing  that  Benjamin  was  going  to  Philadelphia,  and 
having  a  debt  of  thirty-five  pounds  due  him  in 
Pennsylvania,  requested  him  to  collect  it  there, 
and  keep  the  money  until  it  should  be  called  for. 
This  money  afterwards  gave  him  considerable 
anxiety,  from  the  fact,  that  when  he  had  collected 
it  he  appropriated  a  great  part  of  it  to  his  own 
use,  and  then  felt  troubled  lest  he  should  any  day 
be  called  on  for  it. 

Setting  sail  from  Newport,  the  vessel  received 
on  board  several  passengers;  among  them,  a 
Quaker  lady,  with  her  servants,  and  a  couple  of 
young  women  who  appeared  to  be  travelling  to 
gether.  Franklin,  young  as  he  was,  and  unac 
quainted  with  the  ways  of  worldly  persons,  became 
somewhat  familiar  with  these  two  young  women, 
which  excited  the  attention  of  the  Quaker  lady ; 
and  as  she  had  already  held  a  little  conversation 
with  him  on  other  matters,  she  ventured  to  break 
her  mind  to  him  on  this.  Taking  him  aside, 
therefore,  she  said  in  a  kind  manner,  —  "  Young 
man,  I  am  concerned  for  thee,  as  thou  hast  no 


46  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

friend  with  thee,  and  seems  not  to  km  w  much  of 
the  world,  or  of  the  snares  youth  is  exposed  to; 
depend  upon  it,  these  are  very  bad  women;  I 
can  see  it  by  all  their  actions ;  and  if  thee  art  not 
upon  thy  guard,  they  will  draw  thee  into  some 
danger ;  they  are  strangers  to  thee ;  and  I  advise 
thee,  in  a  friendly  concern  for  thy  welfare,  to  have 
no  acquaintance  with  them."  The  youth  was  sur 
prised  ;  but  she  told  him  of  some  things  which  she 
had  seen  and  heard,  and  he  was  soon  convinced 
she  knew  best  about  it.  The  girls  told  him  where 
they  lived,  as  soon  as  they  reached  New  York, 
and  invited  him  to  come  and  see  them ;  but  he 
was  careful  not  to  go  near  them,  wisely  remember 
ing  the  Quaker  lady's  warnings.  The  day  after, 
the  captain  of  the  vessel  missed  several  articles 
from  the  cabin ;  the  rooms  of  these  women  were 
searched  by  an  officer,  and  the  stolen  property 
found  upon  them.  They  were  punished  as  com 
mon  thieves. 

His  friend  Collins,  whom  he  met  on  this  visit 
home,  had  started  for  Philadelphia  before  him, 
and  got  as  far  as  New  York.  When  Franklin 
reached  the  latter  city,  he  found  him  already 
there.  Collins,  however,  had  fallen  into  a  drink 
ing  habit  since  Franklin's  first  absence  from 


AT    HIS   TRADE.  47 

home,  a  matter  which  his  friend  greatly  de 
plored  ;  and  when  the  latter  saw  him  once  more 
on  his  arrival  in  New  York,  he  found  that  he  had 
been  drunk  every  day  since  landing.  He  had 
gambled  too,  and  thus  lost  all  his  money  :  so  that 
Franklin  was  obliged  to  loan  him  enough  to  dis 
charge  the  cost  of  his  passage  to  Philadelphia- 
Collins  was  a  man  of  parts,  and  very  well  read. 

The  Governor  of  New  York,  whose  name  was 
Burnet, — a  son  of  the  famous  Bishop  Burnet,  of 
England, — had  heard  of  a  passenger's  being  on 
board  who  had  a  supply  of  books,  and  asked  the 
captain  to  bring  him  to  him.  Franklin  went 
along  to  answer  this  second  gubernatorial  requisi 
tion,  but  declined  taking  his  friend  Collins  with 
him,  on  account  of  his  sad  condition.  The  Gov 
ernor  received  the  youthful  printer  with  great 
civility,  showed  him  into  his  library,  and  began 
to  talk  very  familiarly  on  books  and  authors.  It 
was  a  compliment  which  young  Franklin  appre 
ciated. 

He  went  on  with  his  journey  to  the  city  of  his 
adoption.  On  the  way,  he  collected  Mr.  Yernon's 
debt ;  and  glad  enough,  too,  was  he  of  the  funds, 
for  he  could  not  have  got  along  without  them, 
He  tried  to  help  Collins  to  a  situation,  hwt  those 


48  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

to  whom  he  applied  saw  what  his  unfortunate 
habits  were,  and  declined  "employing  him.  Then 
Collins  began  to  pester  Franklin  for  money ;  he 
knew  the  latter  had  the  Yernon  debt  about  him, 
and  that  encouraged  him  to  borrow.  He  pro 
mised,  of  course,  to  pay  all  back  when  he  got 
into  business,  and  in  this  way  took  up  the  larger 
part  of  it. 

Collins  was  sailing  with  his  friend  Franklin 
and  others,  on  the  Delaware,  one  day,  and,  being 
more  or  less  intoxicated,  refused  very  crossly  to 
do  anything  to  help  to  propel  the  boat.  He 
declared,  however,  that  he  would  be  rowed 
home;  but  Franklin  as  stoutly  declared  that 
they  would  not  row  him.  Said  Collins,  in  reply, 
"You  must  row  me,  or  stay  all  night  on  the 
water, — as  you  please."  The  rest  were  ready  to 
give  up  to  him ;  but  Franklin  was  resolved  to  do 
no  such  thing,  and  he  persisted  in  his  refusal. 
Upon  this,  Collins  swore  he  would  make  him 
row;  and,  clambering  along  over  the  others  to 
reach  him,  he  came  up  and  struck  out  at  him ! 
Just  at  the  right  instant,  Franklin  placed  hia 
head  under  the  fellow's  legs,  and  then  rising  up 
in  his  seat,  threw  him  heels  over  head  into  the 
river !  He  was  an  excellent  swimmer,  and  that 


AT   HIS   TRADE.  49 

Franklin  knew ;  therefore,  he  gave  his  mind 
little  anxiety  about  the  result.  "When  the  victim 
had  managed  to  swim  around,  and  got  ready  to 
lay  his  hand  on  the  side  of  the  boat  to  draw  him 
self  in,  the  rowers  fetched  a  vigorous  pull  with 
their  oars  and  put  the  boat  clear  of  his  reach.  So 
it  was  several  times ;  whenever  he  would  swim 
up  and  get  all  ready  to  lay  hold,  away  went  the 
boat  again.  He  grew  even  more  incensed  than 
before,  and,  in  answer  to  frequent  inquiries, 
obstinately  declared  that  he  would  not  row  at 
all.  He  became  so  tired  at  length  that  it  was 
thought  prudent  to  draw  him  in  again ;  wet  and 
out  of  temper,  he  cut  but  a  sorry  figure.  But  it 
was  the  last  of  Franklin's  acquaintance  with  his 
old  and  early  friend ;  they  had  little  to  say  to  one 
another  after  that.  The  poor  fellow  went  out  to 
the  West  Indies,  not  long  afterwards,  as  a  pre 
ceptor  for  the  sons  of  a  gentleman  at  Barbadoes. 
He  promised  Franklin  he  would  remit  for  the 
money  he  had  borrowed  of  him,  from  the  first 
of  his  own  receipts;  but  the  latter  never  heard 
a  word  more  from  him,  nor  received  back  a 
single  pound  of  the  borrowed  money. 

Franklin's  reflection   on    this    occurrence,  on 
looking  it  all  over  and  seeing  how  he  acted  with 


50  BENJAMES    VEANKLIN. 

Mr.  Yernon's  money,  was  this :  it  was  one  of  the 
first  great  errors  of  his  life ;  and  his  father  knew 
better  than  he  did  himself  that  he  was  yet  too 
young  to  undertake  the  responsibilities  of  busi 
ness  and  the  management  of  money. 

Governor  Keith  still  followed  him  up,  notwith 
standing  the  decision  of  his  father.  He  told  him 
to  make  out  an  inventory  of  the  articles  he  would 
want  in  order  to  furnish  a  shop,  and  show  it  to 
him.  Franklin  had  kept  Keith's  advances  a 
secret  from  Keimer  and  everybody  else,  up  to 
this  time ;  had  he  confided  in  any  second  person, 
he  might  have  got  advice  in  the  matter  which 
would  have  materially  aided  him.  But  he  could 
not  suspect  that  such  generous  offers  were  in  the 
least  insincere.  Accordingly,  he  sat  down  and 
drew  up  his  little  inventory,  making  the  cost  of 
it  amount  to  one  hundred  pounds  sterling, — or 
about  five  hundred  dollars.  The  Governor  ex 
pressed  himself  pleased  with  the  result,  and  then 
turned  and  asked  Franklin  if  it  would  not  be 
better  for  him  to  be  on  the  ground  himself  when 
these  articles  were  purchased,  so  that  he  could 
select  his  types  and  see  to  the  quality  of  every 
article.  Of  course,  the  young  man  answered  that 
it  would ;  and  the  Governor  added  that,  while  he 


AT   HIS   TRADE.  51 

was  over  there  in  London,  he  might  improve  the 
opportunity  to  make  acquaintance  and  establish 
correspondence  in  the  bookselling  and  stationery 
business. 

Thereupon  G-ov.  Keith  urged  him  to  make 
ready  to  set  sail.  The  ship  was  named  the  ANNIS, 
and  the  only  one  at  that  time  making  a  passage 
between  Philadelphia  and  London.  It  would  be 
months  before  she  would  sail,  however;  and 
Franklin  improved  the  interval,  working  for  Kei- 
mer  still.  He  says  that  during  this  period  he  was 
fretting  about  the  money  he  had  lent  Collins,  and 
in  daily  fear  lest  Yernon  should  call  on  him  to 
pay  it  over.  Keimer  and  he  got  along  very  well 
together ;  Franklin  had  not  yet  let  him  into  his 
plan  of  starting  the  printing  business  for  himself. 
They  indulged  as  much  in  discussion  as  ever. 
Previous  to  this,  and  among  the  earliest  of  his 
studies,  Franklin  had  learned  what  is  styled  the 
Socratic  method  of  logic,  which  is  by  asking  ques 
tions,  instead  of  committing  oneself  to  any  par 
ticular  view  at  first,  and  so  winding  up  one's 
opponent  with  nothing  but  his  own  answers.  The 
chief  art  of  this  style  of  argument  lies  in  starting 
a  question  that  appears  to  have  no  sort  of  relation 
to  the  topic  under  discussion,  and  leading  your 


52  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

opponent  out  where  he  little  suspects.  The  So- 
cratic  method  of  arguing  was  a  favorite  one  with 
Franklin,  from  the  time  in  his  early  youth  when 
he  first  became  acquainted  with  it  until  the  end 
of  his  public  career.  It  may  also  serve  to  explain 
the  pointedness  of  his  observations,  the  terseness 
of  his  remarks,  and  the  shrewdness  of  his  rea 
soning. 

The  friendship  existing  between  Franklin  and 
Keimer  was  of  a  queer  texture.  Each  practised 
his  wit  upon  the  other,  and  fought  as  shy  in  an 
encounter  as  two  pugilists.  Keimer  became  afraid 
of  Franklin's  questions  at  last,  and  before  answer 
ing  them,  would  stop  and  ask  —  "what  do  you 
mean  to  infer  from  that  ?"  He  was  a  free  thinker, 
and  proposed  to  establish  a  new  sect ;  he  was  to 
preach  the  doctrines,  while  Franklin  was  to  con 
found  the  opponents !  Keimer  wore  his  beard  of 
full  length,  and  kept  the  seventh  day  of  the  week 
for  his  Sabbath.  Franklin  was  averse  to  both 
these  points,  which,  with  the  other,  were  essential. 
So  to  compromise  the  matter,  Franklin  agreed  to 
subscribe  to  them,  if  Keimer  would  give  up  the 
use  of  animal  food.  The  latter  thought  he  could 
not  live  without  eating  meat ;  but  Franklin  knew 
better,  and  assured  him  he  would  be  all  the 


AT   HIS    TKADE.  53 

healthier  for  it.  He  was  a  great  eater,  at  best, 
and  a  change  of  diet  would  work  an  improvement. 
At  last  both  consented  to  the  proposal,  and  lived 
up  to  it  for  three  months ;  Franklin  confessed  that 
he  was  as  desirous  of  pleasing  himself  by  half- 
starving  his  friend,  as  anything  else.  Their  pro 
visions  were  purchased,  cooked,  and  brought  to 
them  by  a  woman  in  the  neighborhood,  for  whom 
Franklin  made  out  a  list  of  forty  dishes,  none  of 
which  had  parts  either  of  flesh,  fish,  or  fowl.  It 
brought  down  their  living  expenses,  too,  to  an  ex 
ceedingly  low  figure,  eighteen  pence  sterling  per 
week. 

Franklin  got  on  with  his  new  diet  famously,  for 
he  was  somewhat  used  to  it ;  but  Keimer  was  a 
great  sufferer  by  the  change.  Franklin  said  he 
"  longed  for  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt,  and  ordered  a 
roast  pig !"  He  asked  Franklin  and  a  couple  of 
female  friends  to  come  and  dine  off  it  with  him ; 
but  as  it  chanced  to  be  brought  a  little  sooner  on 
the  table  than  he  expected,  Keimer  drew  up  and 
ate  the  whole  before  the  rest  came ! 

Meantime,  Franklin  was  extending  his  acquaint 
ances.  He  gives  a  list  of  the  young  men  of  the 
town  he  knew,  and  mentions  particularly  that  they 

are  lovers  of  reading.     "  Many  pleasant  walks  we 
5* 


54    i  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

have  liad  together,"  says  he,  in  his  autobiography, 
"  on  Sundays  in  the  woods,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Schuylkill,  where  we  read  to  one  another,  and 
conferred  on  what  we  had  read."  One  of  his  young 
friends  was  given  to  writing  verses,  from  which 
practice  a  second  of  the  number  tried  to  dissuade 
him ;  telling  him  that  if  he  would  succeed  in  busi 
ness,  he  must  give  his  thoughts  to  nothing  but 
business,  and  that  poetry  would  only  stand  in  his 
way.  Franklin,  too,  was  not  over  favorable  to  the 
versifying  practice,  since  his  father  had  taken  some 
of  his  ballad  performances  in  hand  for  him ;  he 
Admitted  that  one  might  attempt  to  write  verses, 
but  only  for  the  greater  command  of  language 
which  it  gave  him. 

He  paid  marked  attention  to  Miss  Read,  at  this 
period,  and  confesses  that  he  had  great  respect  and 
affection  for  her,  and  good  reason  to  think  she 
entertained  the  same  for  him.  Possibly  they 
might  have  married  even  then,  though  neither  was 
above  eighteen  years  old;  but  the  girl's  mother 
dissuaded  them,  saying  it  would  be  more  proper 
after  his  return  from  England,  if  at  all,  than  before 
going;  and  very  likely  she  wished  to  see  how  the 
young  man  promised  to  succeed  in  his  new  busi- 


AT    HIS   TRADE.  55 

ness.  A  mother's  counsels  never  come  amiss  in 
a  matter  of  this  kind. 

The  names  of  the  four  young  men  who  were  his 
closest  friends,  were  Charles  Osborne,  Joseph 
Watson,  James  Ealph,  and  Charles  Brockden.  It 
was  Ealph  who  was  given  to  poetry.  Franklin 
says  that  Pope  finally  cured  him  of  being  a  verse- 
maker,  and  he  afterwards  became  a  good  enough 
writer  of  prose.  Watson  died  in  his  friend  Frank 
lin's  arms,  a  few  years  after,  "being"  —  as  the 
latter  admits  —  "the  best  of  our  set."  Osborne 
went  to  the  West  Indies,  where  he  became  emi 
nent  as  a  lawyer,  accumulated  money,  and  died 
young.  Franklin  made  an  agreement  with  him, 
that  whichever  died  first  should,  if  possible,  come 
back  and  pay  a  friendly  visit  to  the  other,  acquaint 
ing  him  with  the  state  of  things  in  the  other  world ; 
but  he  adds  that  "he  never  fulfilled  his  promise." 

Previous  to  sailing  for  England,  he  was  very 
frequently  at  the  house  of  the  Governor,  where 
the  project  of  the  printing  office  was  the  prominent 
topic  of  their  conversation.  The  governor  was 
lavish  with  his  promises,  as  usual;  he  told  the 
youth  that  he  should  furnish  him  with  several 
letters  of  introduction,  beside  letters  of  credit  with 
which  to  purchase  his  outfit  for  the  printing  office. 


56  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

Every  time  these  letters  were  alluded  to,  Franklin 
was  told  to  call  for  them  on  a  future  day ;  and 
still  it  was  a  future  day,  and  seemed  likely  to  be 
orly  that. 

The  ship,  too,  was  delayed,  and  delayed  very 
much  as  the  foreman  put  off  the  performance  of 
his  promises ;  but  when  the  time  did  come  for  her 
to  depart,  Franklin  called  at  his  house  to  take  his 
leave  and  get  his  promised  letters.  The  Govern 
or's  secretary,  however,  even  then  found  an  excuse 
for  the  Governor,  saying  that  he  was  very  busily 
engaged  writing,  and  could  not  attend  to  him ; 
but  he  pledged  himself  that  the  letters  should  be 
aboard  the  ship  at  ISTew  Castle,  to  which  Franklin 
immediately  repaired.  "What  was  his  surprise  to 
find  the  Governor  there  before  him !  His  Secre 
tary  had  excused  him  on  the  ground  of  being  en 
gaged  writing;  and  now  here  he  was  at  !N"ew 
Castle  !  Franklin  was  not  a  little  puzzled,  as  he 
well  might  be.  He  was  undertaking  great  things, 
on  a  basis  that  each  day  looked  more  and  more 
slender. 

He  had  taken  formal  leave  of  Miss  Eead  before 
joining  the  ship,  and  exchanged  promises  of  mar 
riage  with  her.  He  also  went  around  among  his 
friends  and  bade  them  all  farewell.  His  friend 


AT   HIS   TRADE.  57 

Ralph  embarked  at  the  same  time,  leaving  his 
wife  and  child  behind ;  it  afterwards  came  out 
that  he  had  some  difficulty  with  his  wife's  rela 
tions,  and  resolved  to  leave  her  on  their  hands 
altogether.  There  were  several  gentlemen  of 
character  and  respectability  on  board,  who  occu 
pied  the  whole  cabin,  and  compelled  Franklin  and 
his  friend  Ralph  to  take  up  with  accommodations 
in  the  steerage  ;  as  nobody  knew  them,  they  were 
not  taken  special  notice  of.  But  Col.  French  — 
who  was  with  Gov.  Keith  when  Franklin  was  in 
vited  to  the  tavern  by  that  gentlemen  to  taste  his 
Madeira  and  talk  over  this  very  project  of  going 
to  England,  — came  on  board  the  ship  just  before 
she  sailed,  and,  recognizing  the  young  printer, 
paid  him  much  attention ;  the  others  seeing  it,  and 
knowing  Col.  French  to  be  a  personage  of  official 
importance  in  the  province  of  Delaware,  at  once 
condescended  to  take  some  notice  of  Franklin 
themselves;  and  he  and  his  friend  Ealph  were 
both  of  them  invited  by  the  other  passengers  to 
take  up  their  quarters  in  the  cabin,  one  of  the 
gentlemen  having  concluded  to  stay  behind,  thus 
making  room  for  them. 

Franklin  asked  the  Captain  of  the  vessel  for  the 
letters  from  Gov.  Keith  which  were  to  be  under 


58  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

his  care,  and  which  he  understood  Col.  French 
had  brought  on  board.  He  was  informed  that  all 
the  letters  and  dispatches  were  put  into  the  bag 
together,  and  could  not  well  be  got  at  then ;  but 
he  should  be  allowed  to  pick  them  out  before 
they  reached  England.  This  pacified  him  in  a 
degree,  and  they  set  sail  with  favoring  winds. 
Had  Franklin  been  older,  he  would  never  have 
undertaken  this  voyage  without  so  much  as 
seeing  his  letters  of  introduction  and  of  credit,  or 
even  knowing  if  they  were  on  board ;  but  youth 
is  both  blind  and  brave.  It  would  not  be  deli 
cious  youth,  if  its  light  feet  were  «hod  with  the 
lead  of  old  men's  wisdom. 


TO    ENGLAND    AND   BACK.  59 


CHAPTER  III. 

TO     ENGLAND     AND     BACK. 

THE  passage  to  England  was  marked  by  no 
event  of  special  interest.  "When  the  ship 
arrived  in  the  English  Channel,  the  captain 
gave  him  leave  to  look  in  the  hag  for  his  letters, 
which  he  proceeded  to  do,  taking  out  such  as 
concerned  him  and  the  "business  on  which  he  had 
come.  On  the  day  before  Christmas,  1724,  he 
arrived  in  London.  On  the  way  across  the 
Atlantic,  he  had  fortunately  made  the  acquaint 
ance  of  Mr.  Denham,  an  upright  and  honorable 
merchant  of  Philadelphia,  whose  advice  in  a 
period  of  trouble  was  of  the  first  importance  to 
him,  and  who  remained  his  friend  so  long  as  he 
lived. 

One  of  his  letters  was  addressed  to  the  King's 
Printer,  and  another  to  a  stationer.  He  delivered 
the  letter  to  the  stationer  first,  stating  that  it  was 
from  Gov.  Keith.  The  stationer  broke  the  seal, 


60  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

looked  it  over,  and  said,  "I  don't  know  such  a 
person;"  then,  a  moment  after,  he  said,  "Oh, 
this  is  from  Biddlesden !  I  have  lately  found 
him  to  be  a  complete  rascal,  and  I  will  have 
nothing  to  do  with  him,  nor  receive  letters  from 
him !"  And  he  gave  back  the  letter  into  the 
young  man's  hand,  and  turned  on  his  heel.  This 
was  a  great  surprise  and  disappointment.  On 
looking  over  the  whole  affair,  Franklin  was  still 
more  astonished  to  find  that  none  of  the  letters 
were  from  Keith.  Under  the  circumstances, 
what  was  he  to  do, — a  youth,  a  stranger  on  a 
strange  shore,  deceived  by  a  man  whose  position 
placed  him  above  the  reach  even  of  suspicion  in 
his  mind?  He  bethought  himself  of  Mr.  Den- 
ham  ;  and  to  that  gentleman  he  went  straightway, 
and  laid  before  him  the  whole  case.  Mr.  Den- 
ham  thereupon  exposed  Keith's  character  to 
young  Franklin,  without  reserve;  and  told  him 
there  was  no  sort  of  probability  that  he  had 
written  any  letters  for  him  whatever ;  as  for  his 
letters  of  credit,  he  had  no  credit  to  give,  acd  it 
made  the  merchant  laugh  to  think  of  it.  "But," 
said  the  young  and  friendless  printer,  "  what  am 
I  to  do  ?"  The  merchant  advised  him  to  think 
no  more  of  Keith  or  of  his  schemes,  but  to  try 


TO    ENGLAND    AND   BACK.  61 

and  obtain  employment  in  some  London  printing 
office,  where  he  could  gain  greater  skill  at  his 
trade,  and  return  to  America  better  prepared 
than  ever  to  set  up  in  business.  It  was  sound 
advice,  and  the  young  man  had  the  good  sense  to 
follow  it. 

This  is  the  way  Franklin  himself  speaks  of  this 
transaction :  "  What  shall  we  think  of  a  Gov 
ernor  playing  such  pitiful  tricks,  and  imposing 
so  grossly  on  a  poor  ignorant  boy !  It  was  a 
habit  he  had  acquired.  He  wished  to  please 
everybody ;  and,  having  little  to  give,  he  gave 
expectations." 

He  at  once  took  lodgings  with  his  friend 
Ralph,  at  three  shillings  and  sixpence  a  week; 
and  hunted  up  some  poor  relations,  but  they 
were  even  poorer  than  himself !  His  friend  was 
out  of  funds,  and  borrowed  of  Franklin  as  long 
as  the  latter  would  or  could  lend.  Franklin  got 
work  almost  immediately,  at  Palmer's,  a  well 
known  printing  office  of  London ;  and  there  he 
remained  for  almost  a  year.  He  says  himself  he 
was  pretty  diligent,  yet  he  spent  quite  as  much 
money  as  he  ought  with  Ralph,  going  to  the 
theatres.  The  latter  soon  forgot  his  wife  and 
child  in  America,  and  Franklin  began  to  let  Miss 


62  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 

Read  pass  out  of  Ms  thoughts  likewise.  That 
circumstance  he  counts  up  as  another  among  the 
decided  errors  of  his  life.  He  never  wrote  her 
but  one  letter,  and  then  only  to  let  her  know  that 
he  was  not  likely  very  soon  to  return. 

In  the  London  printing  office,  he  was  put  upon 
a  joh  of  setting  type  for  "Wollaston's  "Religion 
of  Nature."  As  he  got  into  it,  he  thought  the 
reasoning  faulty,  and  sat  down  and  wrote  a  piece 
himself,  criticising  the  same.  He  entitled  it  "  A 
Dissertation  on  Liberty  and  Necessity,  Pleasure 
and  Pain."  This  at  only  nineteen !  He  had 
studied  Locke  and  Socrates  to  some  purpose. 
His  employer  at  once  raised  his  opinion  of  his 
youthful  apprentice,  though  he  condemned  the 
young  man's  principles.  He  printed  his  own 
pamphlet,  however,  and  reckoned  it  as  still  an 
other  of  his  errors.  At  this  time  he  managed  to 
lay  in  with  a  dealer  in  second-hand  books,  who 
permitted  him  to  read  and  return  the  books,  for 
a  given  price.  Franklin  improved  this  privilege 
to  the  utmost.  His  pamphlet  brought  him  into 
acquaintance  with  a  Dr.  Lyons,  who  had  written 
a  book  on  "  The  Infallibility  of  Human  Judg 
ment."  This  gentleman  paid  him  great  atten 
tion;  carried  him  to  an  alehouse  in  LondoD 


TO    ENGLAND    AND    BACK.  63 

known  as  "The  Horns,"  and  introduced  him  to 
Dr.  Mandeville,  the  author  of  the  "Fable  of  the 
Bees,"  who  was  at  the  head  of  a  club  there.  At 
Batson's  Coffee  House,  Dr.  Lyons  presented  him 
to  Dr.  Pemberton,  who  promised  to  take  him  to 
see  Sir  Isaac  Newton ;  but  that  privilege  he  never 
enjoyed. 

He  was  invited  to  a  nobleman's  house  in 
Bloomsbury  Square,  from  having  brought  from 
America  a  purse  made  of  asbestos,  which  fire  will 
not  burn.  The  nobleman  bought  it  of  him  to 
add  to  his  collection  of  curiosities,  and  paid  him 
a  round  sum  for  it.  Ralph  pretty  soon  left  him, 
going  into  the  country  to  teach  a  little  school, 
and  taking  his  friend  Franklin's  name  to  estab- 
Hsh  himself  in  business  with  !  It  was  flattering 
to  young  Franklin  to  know  that  his  name  was 
worth  something  to  begin  upon.  Ralph  and  he 
had  a  falling  out  at  last,  about  the  young  woman 
with  whom  the  former  had  been  keeping  com 
pany.  He  had  left  her  rather  under  Franklin's 
care,  and  the  latter  had  from  time  to  time 
assisted  her  with  small  loans  in  Ralph's  absence  ; 
but  he  having  acted  improperly  to  her  one  day, 
she  resented  his  conduct  with  spirit,  wrote  to 
Ralph  about  it,  and  at  once  brought  the  school- 


64  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

master  up  to  London.  He  expressed  himself 
very  freely  to  Franklin  on  his  conduct,  and  said 
that  now  all  his  obligations  to  the  latter  (for 
money  lent)  were  discharged.  But  Franklin 
never  counted  on  getting  a  penny  back,  the 
vagabond  having  nothing  out  of  which  to  pay. 
This,  however,  ended  their  acquaintance. 

"While  in  the  -office,  for  the  sake  of  getting 
needful  exercise,  he  worked  at  the  press, — the 
heaviest  labor  a;bout  the  establishment.  He 
thought  he  was  not  so  well  unless  he  mixed  up 
this  kind  of  work  with  his  type-setting.  He  was 
a  strict  water  drinker,  all  the  time ;  while  the  rest 
of  the  hands,  numbering  almost  fifty,  were  liberal 
consumers  of  beer.  He  thought  he  could  lift 
more  and  work  harder  on  water  than  they  could 
on  their  beer.  The  hands  used  to  call  him  the 
"Water  American;"  yet  they  could  not  fail  to 
see  that  he  who  drank  only  water  was  stronger 
than  they  who  drank  beer. 

There  was  a  boy  who  always  brought  in  the 
beer  from  the  neighboring  alehouse.  The  man 
who  worked  at  the  press  with  him  used  to  drink, 
every  day,  a  pint  before  breakfast,  a  pint  with  his 
bread  and  cheese  at  breakfast,  a  pint  between 
breakfast  and  dinner  a  pint  at  dinner,  a  pint 


TO    ENGLAND    AND    BACK.  65 

about  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  a  final 
pint  when  his  day's  work  was  all  done  !  Frank 
lin  thought  it  abominable,  and  it  was.  Three 
quarts  of  beer  every  day !  The  workman  thought 
that  strong  beer,  of  course,  made  Mm  strong. 
Franklin  sat  down  to  show  him  how  mistaken  he 
was :  he  demonstrated  that  the  actual  strength- 
giving  qualities  of  beer  were  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  of  barley  flour  dissolved  in  the  water  it  is 
made  of;  that  there  was  more  flour  in  a  penny 
worth  of  bread ;  and  that  he  would  get  the  most 
real  strength  by  eating  that  amount  of  bread, 
with  nothing  but  a  pint  of  water,  than  by  drink 
ing  down  a  whole  quart  of  beer.  But  the  man 
would  not  be  convinced.  He  kept  on  drinking 
his  beer,  and  always  had  four  or  five  shillings  to 
slice  off  from  his  wages  every  Saturday  night, 
which  he  might  just  as  well  have  saved.  "And 
thus,"  says  Franklin,  "these  poor  devils  keep 
themselves  always  under." 

Finally  he  left  the  press-room,  and  was  trans 
ferred  to  the  composing-room.  It  was  a  custom, 
at  that  time,  for  each  new  comer  to  pay  five  shil 
lings  to  purchase  drink  for  all,  and  thaC  sum  was 
demanded  of  Franklin  by  the  workmen ;  having 
already  paid  it  to  the  pressmen,  he  refused  it, 


66  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

thinking  it  an  imposition,  and  so  thought  the 
master,  too.  He  stood  out  for  two  or  three 
weeks ;  but  whenever  he  came  back  to  his  case, 
after  crossing  the  floor  or  leaving  the  room,  he 
was  sure  to  find  his  "sorts"  all  mixed  up,  and 
other  tricks  practised  freely  upon  him,  which  the 
rest  ascribed  to  the  antics  of  the  "  chapel  ghost," 
— cliapel  being  another  name  for  printing  office ; 
and  these  impositions  were  followed  up  so  indus 
triously,  he  finally  thought  best  to  give  up  his 
resolution  and  pay  what  was  demanded  of  him. 
They  told  him  the  " ghost"  always  haunted  those 
who  were  not  regularly  admitted  to  their  num 
ber  by  the  payment  of  the  fee,  and  would  pro 
bably  haunt  him  till  he  had  paid  it.  He  said  he 
was  "  convinced  of  the  folly  of  being  on  ill  terms 
with  those  one  is  to  live  with  continually."  From 
that  day  forward,  he  exercised  a  decided  influence 
over  the  whole  office.  He  proposed  some  reason 
able  alterations  in  the  "chapel's"  laws,  and  suc 
ceeded  in  carrying  his  Doint,  too. 

Many  of  the  men  left  off  drinking  beer  alto 
gether,  from  the  contagion  of  his  example.  They 
found  they  could  have  a  large  porringer  of  hot 
water-gruel  for  their  breakfast,  crumbled  with 
bread,  spiced  with  pepper,  and  a  piece  of  butter 


TO    ENGLAND    AND    BACK.  67 

thrown  in,  for  just  what  they  would  have  to  pay 
for  a  half  pint  of  heer ;  they  felt  better  both  in 
their  pockets  and  heads  from  the  change.  The 
beer-drinkers,  however,  were  continually  obliged 
to  borrow  money  through  the  week ;  and  Frank 
lin  used  to  stand  at  the  pay-table  on  Saturday 
nights,  to  take  up  the  money  from  one  and  an 
other's  wages  which  was  due  him.  Some  weeks 
he  was  paid  as  much  as  thirty  shillings  out  of 
their  accounts.  His  skill  as  a  satirist  or  riggite 
made  him  very  popular  with  them.  The  master 
likewise  esteemed  him  for  always  being  at  the 
office  on  Monday ;  with  those  who  drank  beer  it 
was  "Blue  Monday," — or  what  they  also  styled 
"  St.  Monday," — the  effect  of  the  Saturday  night's 
and  Sunday's  carousals  not  being  yet  over.  The 
master  found  him  so  good  a  hand  that  he  put 
him  on  despatch  work,  for  which  he  was  accus 
tomed  to  obtain  better  pay.  fie  changed  his 
lodgings,  too,  to  a  place  opposite  the  Romish 
Chapel;  the  house  was  kept  by  a  widow  lady, 
and  his  room  was  up  three  pairs  of  stairs,  back. 
She  would  not  take  him  to  lodge  until  she  had 
first  sent  to  inquire  about  him  at  the  place  where 
he  last  was ;  and  then  she  agreed  to  take  him  at 
the  samo  rate,  —  cheaper  than  she  otherwise 


68  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

I 

would,  for  the  sake  of  having  the  protection  of  a 
male  lodger  in  the  house. 

The  widow  was  an  invalid,  and  had  become  a 
Romanist.  Franklin  used  to  go  into  her  room 
and  take  supper  with  her  occasionally,  enjoying 
her  conversation  very  greatly.  She.  could  tell  him 
stories  of  what  had  occurred  so  far  back  as  the 
times  of  Charles  the  Second.  When  he  talked  to 
her  of  moving,  in  order  to  reduce  his  expenses  and 
save  as  much  more  as  he  could,  she  offered  to  take 
off  two  shillings  a  week  rather  than  lose  so  good 
a  lodger. 

He  became  acquainted,  too,  with  an  eccentric 
maiden  lady  who  lodged  in  the  house ;  she  was 
seventy  years  of  age,  and  lived  in  the  most  retired 
manner  possible.  She  was  likewise  a  Catholic, 
and  tried  to  lead  the  life  of  a  nun,  up  in  her  high 
London  attic.  She  gave  away  to  charity  all  her 
property,  after  reserving  only  twelve  pounds  a  year 
to  subsist  on  herself;  and  even  out  of  this  meagre 
sum  she  still  saved  something  to  bestow  in  char 
ity.  She  took  no  nourishment  but  water-gruel, 
and  had  no  fire  save  what  was  sufficient  to  boil  it. 
Here  she  had  continued  to  live  for  years,  none  of 
the  occupants  of  the  house  disturbing  her,  but 
rather  preferring  to  have  her  stay,  as  they  were 


TO    ENGLAND   AND    BACK.  69 

Catholics  themselves.  Seeing  that  a  priest  used 
to  come  to  confess  her,  Franklin  had  the  curiosity 
to  ask  her  how  she  could  find  employment  for  a 
confessor,  living  so  far  out  of  the  reach  of  sin  and 
temptation.  "  Oh,"  replied  she,  "  it  is  impossible 
to  avoid  vain  thoughts  !" 

Franklin  had  been  a  good  swimmer  from  his 
early  boyhood,  and  could  not  be  surpassed  in  the 
water  by  any  of  his  companions.  He  taught  a 
couple  of  friends  to  swim  from  going  but  twice 
into  the  river.  These  two  friends  introduced  him 
to  some  country  gentlemen,  and  they  all  went  to 
Chelsea  by  water,  to  see  the  College  and  certain 
curiosities  there.  Coming  back,  the  company 
asked  young  Franklin  to  show  them  how  he 
could  perform  with  his  limbs  in  the  river;  where 
upon  he  stripped  and  jumped  in,  and  swam  from 
near  Chelsea  to  Blackfriars,  performing  various 
feats  by  the  way,  that  greatly  surprised  and 
delighted  them.  One  of  his  friends  afterwards 
proposed  to  travel  over  Europe  together,  giving 
exhibitions  and  instructions ;  on  asking  his  good 
friend  Mr.  Denham's  advice  about  the  matter,  he 
put  the  young  man  on  the  right  track  again  at 
once,  dissuading  him  from  such  a  project,  and  urg- 


70  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

ing  him  to  make  ready  to  return  very  soon  with 
himself  to  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Denham  was  about  to  import  a  large  stock 
of  goods,  and  proposed  to  Franklin  to  take  him 
as  his  clerk, — to  keep  his  books,  copy  his  letters, 
and  take  care  of  his  store.  That  gentleman  fur 
ther  promised  him  that,  as  soon  as  he  should  be 
come  familiar  with  business,  he  should  be  sent  out 
with  a  cargo  to  the  West  Indies,  bearing  commis 
sions  from  others,  which  would  increase  his  profits. 
The  young  man  was  altogether  pleased  with  the 
proposal ;  he  had  grown  tired  of  London,  and  his 
thoughts  reverted  to  the  happy  days  he  had  spent 
in  Philadelphia.  He  agreed  with  the  merchant, 
therefore,  for  fifty  pounds  a  year,  Pennsylvania 
money, — which  was  less  than  he  was  then  earning, 
but  with  a  larger  prospect.  He  gave  up  the  print 
ing  business,  as  he  thought,  forever.  Previous  to 
the  sailing  of  the  vessel,  he' went  around  with  Mr. 
Denham,  to  observe  the  operations  connected  with 
collecting  and  packing  a  stock  of  goods  to  be  sent 
beyond  the  seas. 

Just  before  he  left,  he  received  an  invitation 
from  a  nobleman,  Sir  "William  Wyndham,  to  call 
and  see  him ;  the  latter  had  two  sons,  who  were 
about  starting  on  their  travels,  and  whom  he 


TO    ENGLAND   AND    BACK.  71 

wished  Franklin  to  teach  the  art  of  swimming, 
promising  to  pay  him  handsomely.  The  noble 
man  had  heard  of  the  swimming  feat  performed 
by  Franklin,  the  news  having  spread  rapidly.  Had 
Franklin  been  addressed  in  this  way  before  he  had 
engaged  with  Mr.  Denham,  it  is  quite  prcbable  he 
would  have  closed  with  the  proposal,  and  remained 
in  England  to  teach  a  swimming-school.  But  he 
came  back  to  America,  to  deal  with  one  of  these 
sons  of  Sir  William  Wyndham, — then  become  Earl 
of  Egremont, — in  a  very  different  way. 

He  was  in  London  some  eighteen  months ;  he 
worked  hard  all  the  time,  and  says  he  spent  very 
little  upon  himself  but  what  it  cost  him  to  see 
plays  and  read  books.  His  friend  Ralph  had 
proved  a  sort  of  nightmare  for  him ;  he  owed  him 
twenty-seven  pounds,  and  this  debt  kept  Franklin 
poor  all  the  time.  Still  he  loved  the  vagabond ; 
he  had  known  him  in  other  days  and  places,  and 
the  bond  was  a  strong  one.  He  says  he  had  learned 
something  by  going  abroad,  and  he  had  read  con 
siderably. 

The  vessel  in  which  he  embarked,  sailed  from 
England  on  the  23d  of  July,  1726.  "While  at  sea, 
he  deliberately  formed  a  plan  for  the  future  con 
duct  of  his  life ;  a  plan  which  he  if*r  >:  teV  adhered 


72  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

to  through  active  manhood  and  to  the  close  of 
an  honored  old  age.  "When  he  reached  home,  he 
found  Miss  Eead  married ;  he  would  have  heen 
ashamed  to  meet  her  hut  for  this  strange  circum 
stance  :  her  friends  had  persuaded  her  that  Frank 
lin  would  never  return,  and  urged  her  to  marry  a 
man  named  Rogers,  a  potter  hy  trade. 

He  met  Governor  Keith  on  the  street,  who 
seemed  ashamed  to  look  at  the  young  printer,  and 
passed  on  without  speaking;  the  Governor  had 
been  deposed  in  Franklin's  absence,  and  another 
put  in  his  place.  Keimer,  the  Philadelphia  printer, 
had  greatly  improved  his  condition,  in  the  mean 
time.  Mr.  Denham  opened  a  store  at  once  on 
Water  street,  and  he  and  his  new  clerk  set  to  work 
displaying  their  goods.  Franklin  gave  his  whole 
attention  to  his  employer's  business,  learned  how 
to  keep  accounts  and  to  sell  goods,  and  very  soon 
became  expert  in  his  new  calling.  He  boarded 
and  lodged  with  Mr.  Denham,  who  was  a  father 
to  him  indeed. 

Matters  went  on  swimmingly  until  the  follow 
ing  February,  when  both  merchant  and  clerk  were 
taken  seriously  ill — the  latter  with  the  pleurisy. 
It  came  near  carrying  him  off;  in  fact,  he  says  he 
had  given  the  world  up  entirely,  and  felt  not  a 


TO    ENGLAND   AND    BACK.  73 

little  disappointed  to  find  lie  was  recovering  !  He 
regretted  that  he  should  have  "  all  the  disagreeable 
work  to  go  over  again,"  at  some  time  or  another. 
But  though  the  clerk  survived,  the  employer  died. 
He  left  Franklin  a  small  token  of  his  love  and  es 
teem,  and  the  young  man's  connection  with  mer^ 
cantile  business  ceased  from  that  day  forward. 

His  brother-in-law,  Captain  Holmes,  happened 
to  be  in  the  city  at  the  time,  and  advised  him  to 
go  back  to  his  trade  again.  Keimer  made  him  an 
offer  of  good  wages  by  the  year,  to  come  and  take 
the  management  of  his  printing  office,  and,  after 
much  hesitation,  he  took  up  with  it.  He  had 
heard  bad  stories  of  this  man's  character  from  his 
wife's  relatives,  while  in  London,  and  he  hesitated 
for  that  reason.  But  nothing  better  promised,  and 
he  took  what  he  could  get  first.  The  office  was 
full  of  raw  hands,  and  Franklin  soon  saw  that  Kei 
mer' s  object  in  offering  him  large  wages  was  a 
purely  selfish  one :  he  would  have  the  London 
workman  teach  these  poorer  tradesmen,  and  then 
turn  him  off  to  shift  for  himself.  But  he  made 
no  needless  complaint;  he  went  about  setting  the 
office  in  order  and  getting  the  workmen  in  the 
most  serviceable  condition.  Among  the  printer  s 
in  the  office  was  an  Oxford  scholar, 

7 


74  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

He  got  on  very  comfortably  with  the  hands,  for 
they  respected  him  for  his  skill  and  were  glad  to 
learn  of  him.  He  says  that,  as  Keimer  did  not 
work  on  Saturday,  that  being  his  Sabbath,  he  had 
"two  days  for  reading."  He  was  contented  and 
happy;  nothing  gave  him  uneasiness  but  the 
money  of  Vernon's  which  he  had  long  ago  collected 
and  lent  to  Collins.  His  ingenuity  was  a  real 
source  of  profit  to  the  establishment ;  for  when 
the  office  needed  types  and  engravings  of  a  cer 
tain  kind,  and  even  ink,  Franklin  went  to  work 
and  manufactured  them.  He  says  himself  that  he 
was  "quite  &  factotum"  But  things  soon  began 
to  betray  a  change  :  the  more  skilful  the  work 
men  under  him  became,  the  less  need  Keimer  had 
of  his  services ;  and  so  the  employer  searched  for 
pretexts  on  which  to  base  a  feeling  of  dissatisfac 
tion,  and  finally  a  quarrel.  On  paying  Franklin 
his  second  quarter's  wages,  Keimer  told  him  that 
they  were  too  much,  and  thought  he  should  take 
off  a  part  from  them.  From  that  time  he  behaved 
uncivilly,  and  pretty  soon  with  undisguised  imper 
tinence  and  hostility.  Franklin,  however,  bore  all 
with  exemplary  patience. 

But,  one  day,  Keimer  looked  up  at  the  upper 
window  of  the  office  from  the  street,  where  a  hub* 


TO  ENGLAND  AND  BACK.  75 

bub  of  some  sort  had  taken  place,  and  chanced 

'  to  spy  Franklin  with  his  head  out  to  see  what  was 

the  matter.     It  was  the  occasion  he  wanted.    The 

irritated  employer  bawled  out  to  Franklin,  in  a 

loud  and  angry  tone,  to  take  his  head  in  and  mind 

his  business;   and  coupled  his  order  with  some 

abusive   words    that    could   not  but  offend  the 

young    printer    exceedingly;    all  the   neighbors 

heard  it,  and  that  only  served  to  make  the  matter 

worse.      Soon  after,  Keimer  came  up-stairs,  and 

continued    his    violent    and    abusive    language. 

High  words  were  given  on  both  sides.     Keimer 

was   sorry  he   was   obliged  to   give  Franklin  a 

quarter's  notice,  before  he  could  get  rid  of  him. 

Franklin  replied  that  he  would  not  hold  him  to 

that,  but  was  ready  to  be  quit  of  him  even  then  : 

and  he  did  take  his  hat,  and  walk  straight  out 

of  doors,   telling   one   of  the   workmen,   named 

Meredith,  to  pick  up  what  belonged  to  him  and 

bring  them  round  that  evening  to  his  room. 

"When  Meredith  entered  his  apartment  at  night, 
he  found  Franklin  seriously  thinking  about  re 
turning  to  Boston,  and  dissuaded  him  from  it. 
He  assured  the  latter  that  Keimer  was  already  in 
debt  for  all  the  stock  in  the  office  and  store,  that 
his  creditors  were  beginning  to  be  unease 


76  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

he  -kept  his  shop  but  poorly,  jsold  for  ready  money 
without  making  a  profit,  kept  loose  accounts  of 
his  businsss,  and  would  soon  have  to  fail,  at  any 
rate;  then  there  would  be  a  good  chance  for  an 
other  man  to  step  into  the  business.  Besides, 
Meredith  reminded  him  that  his  own  time  with 
Keimer  would  be  out  in  the  spring,  and  proposed 
to  him  to  set  up  business  then  together :  he  to 
furnish  the  stock  and  Franklin  the  skill,  in  the  co 
partnership,  and  the  profits  to  be  shared  equally. 
Franklin  accepted  a  proposal  that  promised  so 
fairly.  Meredith's  father  also  approved  of  it, 
especially  as  he  rejoiced  at  Franklin's  influence 
over  his  son  in  curing  him  of  the  habit  of  dram- 
drinking. 

Franklin  made  out  a  list  of  things  which  would 
be  wanted  in  the  new  office,  and  handed  it  to 
Meredith's  father.  They  were  to  be  sent  for  to 
London,  and  all  was  to  be  kept  secret  until  they 
should  arrive;  meantime,  our  young  printer 
friend  was  to  try  and  subsist  by  obtaining  work 
at  his  trade.  He  applied  to  the  other  printing- 
office,  but  could  get  nothing  there;  and  so  he 
remained  idle,  and  was  likely  to  be,  until  the 
stock  should  come  over  from  England.  But 
Keimer  chanced  to  have  a  prospect  of  a  job  of 


TO    ENGLAND   AND    BACK.  77 

printing  some  paper-money  for  New  Jersey,  re 
quiring  cuts  and  various  types  such  as  only 
Franklin  could  supply ;  and  as  he  was  afraid  that 
his  rival,  Bradford,  would  now  employ  Franklin 
and  get  the  job  away  from  him,  he  sent  the  latter 
a  very  proper  message  to  come  and  work  for  him 
again,  adding  that  old  friends  should  not  part  for 
a  few  words.  Meredith  advised  his  taking  up 
with  the  offer,  and  he  did.  Matters  went  on 
then  more  pleasantly  than  ever.  Keimer  got  the 
New  Jersey  job,  and  Franklin  made  a  copper 
plate  press  to  do  it  with, — the  first,  he  says,  that 
had  been  seen  in  this  country.  He  also  cut 
several  ornaments  and  checks  for  the  bills.  Then 
he  went  over  with  Keimer  to  Burlington,  and 
both  executed  the  work  there  to  the  satisfaction 
of  the  authorities.  "Keimer  received  a  large 
amount  of  money  for  the  job,  and  was  thus 
saved  from  going  overboard  in  business. 

Young  Franklin  made  a  good  many  valued 
friends  while  he  stayed  in  Burlington,  including 
several  of  the  first  men  in  the  place.  One  of 
them,  an  elderly  man  and  the  surveyor-general 
of  the  province,  told  him  confidentially  that  he 
(Franklin)  would  supplant  his  employer  in  due 
time,  and  set  up  in  business  for  himself  in  Phila- 


78  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

delphia,  where  he  would  be  sure  to  make  his 
fortune.  He  little  knew  that  the  young  man  had 
just  that  plan  in  mind  at  the  time. 

Franklin  discovered,  too,  while  there,  that  his 
employer  was  jealous  of  him,  because  of  his 
superior  attainments  and  the  attention  they 
naturally  attracted  from  others.  The  young 
printer  had  been  a  constant  reader,  and  therefore 
had  a  better  stored  and  better  disciplined  mind 
than  his  employer.  In  fact,  it  is  to  this  that  he 
ascribes  the  partiality  which  was  shown  him  on 
that  occasion,  and  often  afterwards.  Of  Keimer 
he  says  that  "  he  was  an  odd  creature,  ignorant 
of  common  life,  fond  of  rudely  opposing  received 
opinions,  slovenly  to  extreme  dirtiness,  enthusi 
astic  in  some  points  of  religion,  and  a  little 
knavish  withal." 

Three  months  were  thus  passed  in  Burlington, 
during  which  time  he  made  all  possible  improve 
ment  in  every  way.  In  his  account  of  himself 
along  through  this  period,  he  speaks  very  plainly 
of  the  loose  habits  of  thinking,  on  religious  topics 
especially,  into  which  he  had  fallen.  He  says 
that  he  began  to  doubt  of  revelation  itself.  A 
work  against  Deism  fell  into  his  hands;  but  its 
perusal  wrought  just  an  opposite  effect  from  the 


TO    ENGLAND    AND   BACK.  79 

one  to  be  expected.  The  arguments  which  were 
quoted  merely  to  be  answered-,  made  a  deeper 
impression  on  his  mind  than  the  refutations ;  and 
he  soon  became,  in  fact,  a  confirmed  Deist. 

His  sober  reflections,  however,  tended  to  cor 
rect  these  opinions  afterwards.  He  confessed 
that  this  doctrine,  though  it  might  be  true,  was 
not  very  useful.  He  felt  sincere  regrets  for 
having  written  and  published  the  pamphlet  he 
did  in  London,  with  the  motto  "  "Whatever  is,  is 
right."  It  did  not  look  to  him  now  like  so  clever 
a  performance  as  he  once  thought  it.  He  says 
that,  about  this  time,  he  became  convinced  that 
"truth,  sincerity,  and  integrity,'"  were  of  the  utmost 
importance  in  dealings  between  man  and  man,  as 
well  as  in  the  happiness  of  life ;  and  he  formed 
"written  resolutions,"  to  practice  them  so  long  as 
he  lived.  He  confessed  that  Revelation  had  no 
weight  with  him  merely  as  such ;  yet  he  cher 
ished  an  opinion  that,  "  though  certain  actions 
might  not  be  bad  because  they  were  forbidden  by 
it,  or  good  because  it  commanded  them,  yet,  pro 
bably,  those  actions  might  be  forbidden  because 
they  were  bad  for  us,  or  commanded  because  they 
were  beneficial  to  us." 

He   acknowledges   that  he  was  carried  safely 


80  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

through  the  temptations  of  youth  by  "  the  kind 
hand  of  Providence  or  some  guardian  angel;'* 
and  he  felt  grateful  that  it  was  so.  Away  from 
the  restraints  of  home  and  friends,  thrown  among 
persons  and  scenes  to  which  he  was  unaccus 
tomed,  he  had  reason  afterwards  to  rejoice  that 
he  preserved  even  "  a  tolerable  character  to  begin 
the  world  with,"  and  determined  to  preserve  and 
make  the  best  possible  use  of  it. 


IN   BUSINESS.  81 


CHAPTER   IV. 

IN  BUSINESS. 

THE  new  fonts  of  type  came  from  London 
soon  after  Franklin  returned  to  Philadel 
phia.  He  and  his  partner  had  fortunately 
settled  up  all  their  business  with  Keimer  before 
their  arrival,  so  that  the  latter  had  not  so  much 
as  heard  of  the  movement  before  it  was  all  ready 
to  be  set  on  foot.  In  those  days,  when  there  was 
but  one,  or  at  most  but  two  printing  offices  in  a 
town  of  the  size  of  Philadelphia,  such  an  event 
would  very  soon  become  public,  and  of  course 
excite  more  or  less  talk  and  commotion.  It 
would  be  no  such  an  event  now,  even  in  any  one 
of  the  many  thriving  villages  of  the  country. 

The  new  firm  rented  a  house  near  the  Phila 
delphia  Market,  at  twenty-four  pounds  a  year; 
but  in  order  to  reduce  the  rent,  they  let  in  a 
glazier  and  his  family,  who  were  to  pay  a  good 
share  of  it  to  the  young  printers,  while  the  latter 


82  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

boarded  with  them.  It  was  a  thrifty  way  of  get 
ting  along.  Their  first  customer,  as  job  printers, 
was  a  man  from  the  country  whom  a  good  friend 
brought  into  their  work-room.  As  all  their  cash 
had  been  laid  out  in  procuring  what  was  neces 
sary  for  the  office,  they  were  very  glad  to  take 
the  five-shilling  job  which  the  stranger  brought 
them.  Franklin  says  that  those  shillings  gave 
him  more  pleasure  than  "any  crown"  he  ever 
received  afterwards;  and  he  felt  such  strong 
gratitude  for  the  friend  who  had  put  this  first 
piece  of  work  in  his  hands,  that  he  believes  it 
had  the  effect  ever  after  to  make  him  willing  to 
aid  young  beginners. 

One  day  he  was  met  by  a  croaker.  There  are 
such  men  everywhere ;  they  infest  every  com 
munity,  and  make  it  their  chief  business  to  throw 
wet  blankets  over  whatever  undertakings  come 
to  their  ears.  This  person  was  named  Samuel 
Mickle :  he  was  an  elderly  man,  and  an  utter 
stranger  to  Franklin ;  but  he  took  the  liberty  to 
stop  him  one  day  at  his  door,  and  ask  him  "  if  he 
was  the  young  man  who  had  lately  opened  a  new 
printing-house."  He  said  he  was  very  sorry  to 
find  the  report  true,  for  the  undertaking  was 
great,  and  the  cost  of  it  would  all  be  thrown 


IN   BUSINESS.  83 

away.  He  likewise  told  young  Franklin  that 
Philadelphia  was  "a  sinking  place,"  the  people 
were  already  "half  bankrupts,"  and  the  new 
buildings  going  up  were  but  deceitful  promises 
of  prosperity,  and  were  certain  in  time  to  ruin 
them.  The  effect  produced  on  the  youthful 
printer's  mind  by  this  lugubrious  kind  of  talk 
was  to  leave  it  in  a  half  melancholy  state;  in 
fact,  he  declared  that  if  he  had  met  with  this 
man  before  embarking  in  business  for  himself,  he 
never  should  have  made  the  venture. 

But  Franklin  records  as  a  fact  worth  laying  up 
against  this  man,  and  all  the  other  men  of  his 
class,  that  he  continued  to  live  in  Philadelphia 
notwithstanding  the  decay  into  which  the  city 
was  falling,  and  kept  up  his  croaking  as  briskly 
as  ever.  He  refused  for  a  long  time  to  buy  a 
house  there,  because  he  was  so  sure  the  place  was 
rapidly  going  to  ruin  ;  and  Franklin  remarks  that 
it  gave  him  "pleasure"  to  see  him  at  last  obliged 
to  give  five  times  as  much  for  a  house  as  he 
would  have  had  to  do,  had  he  bought  when  he 
first  began  croaking ! 

About  this  time,  Franklin  set  in  operation  a 
club  of  young  men,  who  were  to  meet  for  self- 
improvement,  which  club  was  named  the  JUNTO. 


84  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

They  met  on  Friday  evenings.  The  rules  re 
quired  that  each  member  should  in  turn  bring  in 
a  question  to  be  discussed  in  open  meeting,  on 
any  point  of  morals,  politics,  or  natural  philos* 
ophy ;  and  once  in  three  months  he  was  to  read 
before  the  body  an  essay  of  his  own  production, 
on  any  subject  whatever.  There  was  a  President 
appointed  by  the  club,  and  it  was  agreed  that  all 
debates  and  discussions  should  be  carried  on  in 
a  sincere  spirit  of  inquiry  after  truth,  and  not 
merely  from  a  vain  desire  for  victory.  If  a  mem 
ber  used  improper  language,  or  was  hasty,  or 
indulged  in  open  contradiction  of  others,  he  was 
to  be  fined  in  a  small  sum  of  money. 

The  members  of  this  Junto  were  not  altogether 
indifferent  characters.  It  was  not  exactly  a  club 
to  count  among  its  members  such  men  as  Sir 
Joshua  Reynolds,  Edmund  Burke,  Oliver  Gold 
smith,  and  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson, —  but  it  was 
made  immortal  by  at  least  one  spirit  within  its 
little  circle,  and  that  one  Benjamin  Franklin. 
There  was  a  copier  of  deeds  among  them,  the 
inventor  of  Hadley's  Quadrant,  a  professional 
surveyor,  a  shoemaker,  a  joiner,  a  young  gentle 
man  of  some  fortune  who  was  given  to  punning, 
and,  finally,  the  clerk  of  a  merchant,  William 


IN   BUSINESS.  85 

Coleman  by  name,  who  had,  as  Franklin  himself 
records  it,  "the  coolest,  clearest  head,  the  best 
heart,  and  the  exactest  morals"  of  any  man  he 
ever  met  with. 

This  same  merchant's  clerk  afterwards  became 
a  great  merchant,  and  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
province.  He  and  Franklin  continued  fast  friends 
for  the  term  of  forty  years,  for  almost  the  whole 
of  which  time  the  club  likewise  continued ;  and 
Franklin  says  it  was  "the  best  school  of  phil 
osophy,  morality,  and  politics,  that  then  existed 
in  the  province."  In  order  to  discuss  the  various 
topics  with  anything  like  justice,  it  of  course 
became  necessary  for  the  members  to  read  care 
fully  beforehand  such  works  as  treated  of  the 
matter  under  consideration ;  and  the  rules  re 
quired  such  carefulness  in  speaking,  and  forbade 
with  such  strictness  all  indulgence  in  intemperate 
and  improper  language,  that  the  young  men  soon 
found  they  were  receiving  such  real  benefit  from 
the  weekly  meetings  as  they  had  scarcely  deemed 
possible.  There  was  no  temper  lost  between 
them,  which  only  left  so  much  more  room  and 
time  for  personal  improvement. 

This   same    Club   brought   the   new   printing- 
house  business.     The  several  members  of  it  made 
8 


86  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

it  a  point  to  influence  all  they  could  in  favor  of 
the  young  printers.  Through  one  they  procured 
the  printing  of  forty  sheets  of  the  new  Quaker 
history ;  Keimer  performed  the  rest  of  the  work, 
and  Franklin  said  they  took  their  part  on  such 
low  terms  as  scarcely  allowed  a  profit.  They 
worked  hard  over  the  job,  Franklin  himself  com 
posing  a  sheet  each  day,  and  frequently  not 
finishing  his  day's  work  till  eleven  o'clock  at 
night. 

He  was  so  eager  to  make  his  sheet  a  day,  that 
one  night,  after  having  placed  his  "forms"  on 
the  "imposing  stone,"  he  accidentally  made  "pi" 
of  two  pages ;  all  of  which  he  deliberately  went 
to  work  and  set  in  type  again  before  he  went  to 
bed.  By  industry  of  this  sort,  closely  followed 
up,  the  new  house  soon  acquired  reputation  and 
earned  the  confidence  of  all  who  knew  or  heard 
of  its  partners.  Although  it  was  continually 
thrown  out  at  the  Merchants'  Club  that  the  new 
printing-house  was  sure  to  fail,  there  being  two 
similar  houses  in  town  already,  yet  the  young 
men  held  steadily  on  their  way.  One  gentleman, 
a  friend  of  theirs,  predicted  differently,  however : 
he  said — "the  industry  of  that  Franklin  is 
superior  to  anything  of  the  kind  I  ever  saw;  I 


IN    BUSINESS.  87 

see  him  at  work  when  I  go  home  from  the  club, 
and  he  is  at  work  again  before  his  neighbors  are 
out  of  bed."  The  remark  was  not  without  its 
effect  in  the  young  men's  favor. 

Franklin  confesses  that  it  was  this  homely 
virtue  of  industry  that  brought  the  concern  up, 
and  afterwards  kept  it  there.  He  wished  his 
posterity  to  know  and  remember  how  much  is 
due  to  the  exercise  of  that  single  virtue. 

It  was  not  long  before  it  entered  into  the  plans 
of  Franklin  to  publish  a  newspaper  in  Philadel 
phia,  in  connection  with  his  job  business.  He 
had  had  some  experience  in  that  line  in  Boston, 
as  the  reader  will  remember;  and  he  felt  confi 
dent  of  his  ability  to  go  forward  with  a  plan 
which  would  add  to  his  own  personal  influence  as 
well  as  increase  the  profits  of  his  establishment. 
An  old  fellow  printer  at  Keimer's  had  purchased 
his  time  of  his  employer,  and  came  over  to 
Franklin's  office  to  offer  himself  as  a  journeyman. 
As  it  happened,  they  had  no  work  just  then  to 
give  him;  but  Franklin  told  him  in  confidence 
that  he  should  start  a  newspaper  soon,  and  that 
he  would  probably  have  work  for  him  then. 

The  only  newspaper  printed  in  the  city 
was  by  Bradford,  and  a  wretched  affair  it  was. 


88  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

Yet  it  paid  him  a  good  profit,  and  Franklin 
reasoned  that  if  an  affair  of  that  kind  paid  well,  a 
better  one  ought  to  pay  better;  and  he  deter 
mined  to  try  the  experiment.  But  Webb  was 
leaky;  he  could  not  keep  his  important  secret, 
but  must  needs  tell  it  to  Keimer.  Upon  the  hint 
thus  received,  Keimer  resolved  to  begin  a  new 
paper  himself,  before  Franklin  should  get  ready 
for  his  enterprise.  He  would  thus  have  the  field 
all  to  himself.  Franklin  was  not  a  little  cha 
grined  at  the  occurrence,  and  quite  as  much 
vexed;  and  in  order  to  do  all  the  damage  pos 
sible  to  Keimer's  prospects,  he  sat  down  and 
wrote  a  number  of  pleasant  pieces  for  Bradford's 
paper, — the  very  one  he  had  determined  to  over 
throw,  —  over  the  signature  of  BUSY  BODY. 
These  articles  were  kept  up  by  him  for  several 
months,  and  attracted  special  attention.  Every 
thing  relating  to  Keimer's  paper,  his  proposals 
to  the  public  not  excepted,  were  ridiculed  to  the 
last  letter. 

Keimer  started  his  paper,  however,  according  to 
his  proposals ;  but  he  had  not  gone  on  with  it 
fully  nine  months,  during  which  period  he  had 
not  more  than  ninety  subscribers  at  any  one  time, 
when  he  turned  and  offered  the  whole  concern  to 


IN   BUSINESS.  £9 

Franklin  for  a  mere  song.  The  latter  had  been  all 
ready  for  the  step  for  some  little  time,  and  of  course 
fell  in  with  his  proposal  without  further  delay. 
It  became  very  profitable  to  him  in  a  few  years. 
His  partner,  Meredith,  became  worse  than  helpless 
in  the  establishment;  for  in  addition  to  being  a 
wretched  compositor  and  pressman  he  was  seldom 
sober.  A  favorable  opportunity  for  dissolving  the 
business  relations  not  long  afterwards  occurred. 

Franklin  put  his  best  care  and  talent  into  the 
columns  of  his  newspaper;  he  believed,  too,  as 
any  practical  printer  would,  that  an  attractive  me 
chanical  appearance  made  a  great  difference  in 
favor  of  any  paper ;  therefore  he  took  exceeding 
pains  with  the  types  and  the  printing.  A  dispute, 
since  become  historical,  which  was  then  going  on 
between  the  Governor  and  the  Massachusetts  As 
sembly,  led  him  to  make  pointed  remarks  on  the 
same  from  time  to  time,  which  drew  still  wider 
attention  to  his  paper,  and  soon  made  the  principal 
people  his  subscribers.  When  a  few  leading  men 
began  to  take  the  paper,  their  example  was  followed 
very  soon  and  very  generally.  Franklin  sets  down 
all  his  good  luck  at  this  critical  period  as  the  re 
sult  of  "  having  learned  a  little  to  scribble."  And, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  man  who  could  himself 

8* 


90  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

"handle  a  pen"  in  conducting  a  newspaper,  was 
thought  twice  as  well  of  as  if  he  could  not.  Hence 
he  was  encouraged  in  every  manner. 

Bradford,  his  rival,  had  printed  an  address  of 
the  House  to  the  Governor  in  such  a  careless  and 
blundering  manner,  Franklin  resolved  to  improve 
upon  it  and  watch  the  effect.  So  he  reprinted  the 
whole  in  a  style  of  elegance  and  with  all  attention 
to  correctness,  and  sent  a  copy  to  each  member  of 
the  House.  The  entire  body  saw  the  difference 
in  the  style  of  the  work,  and  the  friends  of  Frank 
lin  were  thus  enabled  to  command  votes  enough 
to  make  him  and  his  partner  public  printers  for 
the  following  year. 

Meredith's  father,  who  had  engaged  to  advance 
the  money  for  the  printing  office,  and  who  had 
advanced  but  one  hundred  pounds  already,  was 
unable  to  make  the  second  payment  of  an  hundred 
pounds,  as  expected.  In  consequence,  the  firm 
was  sued  for  the  amount ;  bail  was  given  ;  but  it 
was  plain  to  Franklin  that,  when  the  case  came 
to  trial,  judgment  would  be  given  against  them, 
execution  would  follow,  and  every  vestige  of  their 
industry  and  their  hopes  would  vanish.  In  this 
dilemma  he  was  waited  upon  by  a  couple  of  true 
friends,  each  ignorant  of  what  the  other  had  done, 


IN   BUSINESS.  91 

who  offered  him  the  help  he  so  much  needed  in 
order  to  take  the  whole  business  on  his  own  shoul 
ders.  They  did  not  wish  him  to  continue  the 
connection  with  Meredith,  however,  who  had  re 
peatedly  been  seen  drunk  in  the  streets,  and  whose 
haunts  were  low  ale-houses. 

The  names  of  these  two  men  who  so  generously 
offered  him  this  timely  assistance  were  "William 
Coleman  and  Robert  Grace.  He  thanked  each 
of  them  from  his  heart ;  but  he  felt  obliged  to  tell 
them  that  he  was  not  at  liberty  to  break  up  the 
partn^fship  so  long  as  there  remained  any  chance 
of  Meredith's  father  keeping  his  engagement  in 
the  matter  of  the  second  payment.  Yet  if  he 
should  fail  entirely  to  do  so,  then  their  proffered 
aid  would  be  most  gladly  accepted. 

Not  long  after,  Franklin  held  a  talk  with  his 
partner  about  the  business,  and  asked  him  if  he 
thought  his  father  declined  to  advance  more  mo 
ney  on  account  of  being  dissatisfied  with  himself. 
The  young  man  positively  assured  him  that  that 
was  not  the  reason  at  all ;  "  my  father  has  been 
disappointed,"  said  he,  "and  is  really  unable,  and 
I  am  unwilling  to  distress  him  further."  His 
partner  likewise  told  him  that  he  felt  certain  that 
he  was  unfit  for  the  business,  and  ought  to  give 


92  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

it  up.  He  was  Welsh ;  many  of  his  people  were 
about  to  colonize  and  emigrate  to  North  Carolina; 
and  he  felt  inclined  to  leave  with  them  and  2:0 

o 

upon  the  land  again  to  work.  He  had  been  bred 
a  farmer,  and  not  a  printer ;  land  was  very  cheap 
where  they  talked  of  going,  and  he  was  certain  to 
get  at  least  a  living  there,  if  he  did  not  do  more. 
He  also  made  Franklin  a  proposition  to  assume 
the  debts  of  the  firm,  to  pay  back  the  hundred 
pounds  the  elder  Meredith  had  advanced,  clear  off 
his  personal  debts,  give  him  thirty  pounds  and  a 
new  saddle, — and  the  whole  concern  should  be 
turned  over  to  his  hands. 

Franklin  lost  no  time  in  acceding  to  this  propo 
sal.  He  had  it  duly  drawn  up  in  writing,  signed, 
and  sealed.  Payments  were  made  as  proposed, 
and  his  partner  left  him  for  the  distant  province 
of  North  Carolina.  He  wrote  back  a  couple  of 
letters  from  that  country  the  next  year,  filled  with 
sensible  and  reliable  accounts  of  the  climate,  soil, 
and  productions,  which  Franklin  published  in  the 
columns  of  his  paper. 

Eather  than  seem  partial  to  either  of  his  two 
kind  friends,  he  wisely  accepted  half  of  what  each 
had  offered  him,  and  at  once  paid  off  the  company 
debts,  and  went  on  with  the  business.  He  made 


IN   BUSINESS.  93 

a  pul^lic  announcement  in  his  paper  that  the  part 
nership  was  dissolved. 

A  lively  discussion  concerning  paper  money 
sprang  up  at  this  time.  There  were  but  <£15,000 
of  it  in  the  province,  and  this  was  soon  to  he 
funded.  One  class  of  the  people  opposed  the  plan 
of  increasing  the  amount  in  circulation,  helieving 
that  it  would  hecome  so  plentiful  as  to  grow  too 
cheap,  requiring  a  large  amount  to  buy  the  same 
articles.  This  same  question  had  come  up  for  dis 
cussion  in  the  Junto,  and  Franklin  had  there  ad 
vocated  an  addition  to  the  paper  currency  ;  he  said 
he  was  persuaded,  from  the  small  amount  which 
was  first  struck  off',  in  1723,  that  it  had  increased 
trade,  multiplied  employments,  and  brought  more 
population  into  the  province ;  he  now  saw  all  the 
old  houses  occupied,  and  many  new  ones  going 
up;  whereas,  when  he  first  strolled  about  the 
streets  of  Philadelphia,  munching  his  roll,  he 
noticed  on  many  and  many  a  house  a  bill  reading 
— To  be  Let,  which  led  him  to  think  the  inhabit 
ants  might  be  deserting  the  city. 

He  wrote  and  published  a  pamphlet  on  the  sub 
ject  of  paper  money,  entitled — "The  Nature  and 
Necessity  of  a  Paper  Currency.'"  The  mass  of  tho 
people  received  it  with  favor,  but  the  wealthy  class 


94  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

disliked  it,  as  it  swelled  the  cry  for  more  pape 
money.  But  the  production  was  not  answered  bj 
any  writer  on  their  side,  and  the  House  passed  a 
bill  for  printing  more  paper  currency  by  a  decided 
majority.  Very  naturally,  as  Franklin  had  taken 
such  an  interest  in  the  measure,  and  had  done  so 
much  toward  creating  a  public  opinion  for  it,  the 
House  voted  him  the  profitable  job  of  doing  the 
printing.  It  was  another  advance  in  his  fortunes, 
and  he  ascribed  it  all  to  his  having  qualified  him 
self  early  to  express  his  views  in  writing. 

He  also  obtained  the  job  of  printing  the  same 
sort  of  money  for  Newcastle,  through  the  inter 
ventions  of  a  friend  ;  and,  in  addition  to  that,  the 
printing  of  the  laws  and  votes  of  the  same  gov 
ernment,  which  he  continued  to  do  as  long  as  he 
followed  the  printing  business. 

Besides  the  printing  office  and  the  newspaper, 
he  now  opened  a  stationer's  shop,  in  which  he 
kept  the  most  correct  blanks  that  had  ever  made 
their  appearance  among  the  people.  He  likewise 
kept  for  sale  paper,  parchment,  chapmen's  books, 
and  other  things  of  the  same  character.  He  had 
so  much  work  and  business  on  his  hands  at  this 
time,  that  he  hired  another  hand  at  the  case,  be 
sides  taking  in  an  apprentice.  Under  the  im- 


IN   BUSINESS.  95 

proved  state  of  circumstances  iu  which,  he  found 
himself,  he  began  to  pay  off  his  printing-house 
debt. 

He  said  that  he  took  a  great  deal  oi  pains  not 
only  to  be  frugal  and  industrious,  but  not  to  appear 
the  contrary ;  thus  paying  proper  regard  to  the 
eyes  and  opinions  of  others.  He  dressed  very 
plain,  and  never  allowed  himself  to  be  seen  at 
places  of  public  amusement.  He  never  went  off 
fishing  or  shooting.  He  sometimes  allowed  him 
self  the  luxury  of  reading  a  book,  but  that  did  not 
occur  too  often,  and  caused  no  remark  by  others. 
To  let  people  see  that  he  was  not  above  his  busi 
ness,  he  sometimes  wheeled  home  the  paper  he 
bought  at  the  store  on  a  wheelbarrow.  Seeing 
what  his  character  was,  merchants  went  out  of 
their  way  to  solicit  his  trade,  offering  to  sell  him 
anything  he  needed  in  the  line  of  his  business  on 
most  accommodating  terms.  He  prospered  rap 
idly  ;  while  his  rival,  Keimer,  saw  his  business  and 
his  credit  fast  melting  away,  and  was  finally  forced 
to  sell  his  printing-house  in  order  to  satisfy  his 
creditors.  The  man  set  sail  for  Barbadoes,  where 
he  lived  very  poor. 

An  apprentice  of  Keimer's,  whom  Franklin  had 
himself  instructed  when  he  worked  in  tho  office 


96  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

of  the  former,  bought  his  printing  materials  and 
set  up  in  opposition  to  Franklin,  and  the  latter 
had  some  fears  lest  he  would  find  in  him  a  power 
ful  rival ;  out  of  prudence,  therefore,  he  proposed 
a  partnership  with  him  ;  but  it  was  rejected  in  a 
very  scornful  way,  as  he  was  above  the  reach  of 
such  working  mechanics  as  young  Franklin.  The 
latter  had  reason,  however,  to  be  grateful  for  the 
refusal ;  for  the  fellow  was  vain  and  conceited, 
dressed  above  his  situation,  did  not  follow  his  busi 
ness,  lived  showily,  ran  in  debt,  and  wasted  a 
great  deal  of  time  in  amusements.  His  business 
very  soon  ran  out,  and  he  followed  his  old  master 
out  to  Barbadoes,  where  the  apprentice  had  the 
satisfaction  of  hiring  his  former  employer  as  a 
journeyman. 

Bradford  was  now  the  only  other  printer  in 
Philadelphia.  But  he  was  become  rich  in  his 
business,  and  did  not  need  to  push  rivalry  with  a 
young  man  to  the  limit  to  which  other  men  would. 
He  was  the  post-master,  however,  and  as  he  pos 
sessed  many  facilities  for  distributing  his  newspa 
per  which  Franklin  did  not,  he  obtained  more  ad 
vertisements  on  the  strength  of  it.  In  order  to 
get  his  paper  sent  by  the  post,  Franklin  was  forced 
to  bribe  the  riders,  who  carried  them  without 


IN   BUSINESS.  9T 

Bradford's  knowledge ;  the  latter  having  expressly 
forbidden  them  to  take  any  copies  of  the  rival 
paper.  Franklin  has  put  it  on  record,  to  be  re 
membered  by  all  honorable  men  forever,  that  when 
he  afterwards  came  to  occupy  Bradford's  position 
as  post-master,  he  took  special  care  not  to  imitate 
so  very  mean  a  practice. 

Godfrey  and  his  family  had  occupied  a  part  of 
his  house  all  this  time,  and  Franklin  had  boarded 
with  them.  One  side  of  the  shop  was  occupied 
by  Godfrey  for  his  avocation — that  of  a  glazier. 
Mrs.  Godfrey  had  a  relative,  who  had  a  daughter ; 
and  the  kind  woman,  seeing  that  the  young 
printer  was  prospering  so  well,  and  feeling  more 
or  less  interested  in  his  personal  welfare,  set  her 
wits  to  work  making  a  match.  She  brought 
them  together  in  her  apartments  as  often  as  pos 
sible,  and  he  admits  that,  on  his  own  side,  a  serious 
courtship  actually  ensued.  The  girl's  father  and 
mother,  too,  not  to  be  behindhand,  took  pains  to 
ask  him  to  their  house  to  tea,  from  time  to  time, 
and  adroitly  left  them  in  one  another's  company 
BO  often  that  he  found  it  soon  became  necessary 
to  explain.  Here  the  ready  Mrs.  Godfrey  came 
in  again  with  her  diplomacy.  She  expected  to 
see  the  fruits  of  her  tact  and  skill  forthwith. 

9 


98  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

On  his  part,  Franklin  wanted  her  to  make  the 
parents  of  the  girl  understand  that,  if  he  married 
her,  he  should  expect  with  her,  by  way  of  dowiy, 
as  much  money  as  would  suffice  to  pay  off  the  re 
maining  debts  of  his  printing  establishment, — 
perhaps  a  hundred  pounds.  "Word  was  brought 
back  by  her  that  they  had  no  such  sum  to  spare. 
He  suggested  that  they  mortgage  their  house  for 
the  purpose  in  the  loan  office.  They  retorted  that 
they  did  not  approve  the  match ;  because,  having 
made  inquiry  of  Bradford  (his  rival),  he  had  told 
them  the  printing  business  was  very  risky  in  the 
province,  and  that  two  men  had  but  recently  been 
compelled  to  give  it  up— Keimer  and  his  appren 
tice.  Bradford  told  them,  too,  that  types  soon 
wore  out,  and  would  have  to  be  replaced  at  the 
same  expense  as  at  first.  Franklin  was  therefore 
forbidden  the  house,  and  his  lady-love  was  duly 
shut  up  where  he  could  not  see  her.  He  doubted 
if  the  parents  really  meant  to  carry  out  this  reso 
lution,  or  if  it  were  not  part  of  a  plan  to  draw  him 
into  marrying  their  daughter  stealthily,  or  against 
their  will. 

He  suspected  this  plan  just  strongly  enough  to 
suffer  his  feelings  to  be  touched  with  resentment, 
and  that  concluded  his  attentions  in  that  quarter* 


IN   BUSINESS.  99 

Mrs.  Godfrey  afterwards  reported  to  him  that  the 
father  and  mother  felt  better  inclined  toward  him, 
and  would  have  been  glad  to  bring  about  an  ar 
rangement;  but  he  held  out  against  any  such 
thing,  and  at  length  felt  compelled  to  tell  her 
plainly  that  he  would  have  nothing  more  to  do 
with  the  family.  She  resented  it  as  a  personal 
matter;  and  the  result  was,  the  Godfreys  soon 
formed  a  resolution  to  leave  his  premises.  This 
left  him  quite  alone  in  the  house;  and  he  made 
up  his  mind  to  take  no  more  inmates. 

It  was  a  fortunate  occurrence  for  him,  however, 
and  it  would  seem  as  if  it  could  have  taken  place 
at  no  more  fit  period  in  his  whole  career.  By 
being  thus  left  alone,  and  feeling  still  more  so  in 
consequence  of  being  suddenly  denied  that  female 
society  to  which  he  was  naturally  drawn,  his  atten 
tion  was  attracted  to  marriage  in  earnest.  He 
says  he  "looked  around"  him,  and  "made  over 
tures  of  acquaintance  in  other  places;"  but  as  it 
was  the  prevailing  opinion  that  a  printer's  busi 
ness  was  but  a  poor  one  at  best,  he  saw  pretty 
clearly  that  he  could  not  obtain  a  wife  with  money, 
unless  he  would  consent  to  take  up  with  just  such 
an  one  as  he  did  not  want. 

As  it  fell  out,  too,  this  time  in  his  favor  again, 


100  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

a  friendly  acquaintance  was  about  this  time  renewed 
between  himself  and  the  Read  family,  who  had 
all  of  them  kept  alive  a  kind  regard  for  Franklin 
since  he  first  went  to  their  house  to  lodge.  They 
now  called  him  in  quite  often  to  consult  in  their 
private  matters,  and  he  proved  serviceable  to  them. 
Of  course  he  was  obliged  to  come  in  contact  with 
Miss  Read, — who,  the  reader  will  remember,  had 
married  since  Franklin  broke  off  the  acquaintance 
while  in  London,  and  afterwards  been  deserted 
by  her  husband.  She  appeared  sad  and  shy  to 
him,  speaking  but  little,  and  seeming  to  dislike 
company. 

His  pity  was  awakened  for  her  at  once.  He 
accused  himself  with  being  the  author  of  all  her 
mistakes  and  sorrows,  from  having  neglected  her 
so  cruelly  while  absent  in  London ;  although  the 
mother  of  the  young  woman  was  by  no  means  of 
the  same  opinion,  charging  the  fault  upon  herself 
for  not  consenting  to  their  marriage  before  he  went 
to  London,  as  he  had  desired.  Besides,  it  was 
through  her  means  that  the  other,  and  worthless, 
match  was  brought  about  in  Franklin's  absence. 
The  affection  was  speedily  revived  between  them, 
and  marriage  was  very  naturally  thought  of  by 
both. 


IN   BUSINESS.  101 

But  here  an  ugly  obstacle  interposed.  It  was, 
to  be  sure,  believed  that  her  husband  had  a  wife 
living  in  England,  which  would  of  course  render 
the  former  marriage  invalid;  but  the  difficulty 
was,  to  prove  it.  There  was  a  story  of  his  death, 
too ;  but  that  could  not  be  proved,  either,  and  to 
sum  up  with,  he  had  left  many  debts  behind, 
which  the  next  husband  would  legally  be  called  on 
to  pay. 

Franklin  says  he  got  bravely  over  all  these  diffi 
culties,  however,  and  at  last  married  her.  The 
wedding  day  was  on  the  1st  of  September,  1730, 
and  he  was  a  little  more  than  twenty-four  and  a 
half  years  old.  It  so  happened  that  he  was  never 
troubled  with  any  of  those  inconveniences  from 
which  he  had  feared,  and  life  began  pleasantly 
again  with  them  both. 

At  that  time,  there  was  not  a  good  bookstore, 
or  bookseller's  shop,  as  they  then  styled  them,  to 
the  south  of  Boston.  The  printers  in  New  York 
and  Philadelphia  were  stationers,  but  they  sold 
nothing  more  than  "paper,  almanacs,  ballads,  and 
a  few  common  school-books."  Whoever  wanted 
books,  must  needs  send  out  to  England  and  im 
port  them.  We  can  now  hardly  imagine  the  state 

of  things  in  this  country  which   existed  then. 
9* 


102  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

The  members  of  the  Junto  each  had  a  few 
books.  They  had  left  the  alehouse  where  they 
held  their  first  meetings,  and  hired  a  room  else 
where.  Franklin  proposed  that  they  should  club 
their  books  together,  and  thus  make  a  respectable 
library,  placing  them  in  the  club-room.  There 
each  member  could  consult  all  the  books,  or  carry 
away  for  the  time  such  as  he  would  like  to  read 
at  home.  The  proposal  was  at  once  accepted  by 
the  rest  as  a  sensible  one,  and  marked  improve 
ment  grew  out  of  it. 

The  success  of  this  new  plan  of  his  led  him  to 
attempt  larger  things.  Though  the  members  of 
the  club  took  their  books  back  home  after  the  ex 
piration  of  a  twelvemonth,  owing  to  the  trouble 
found  in  taking  the  proper  care  of  them  and  keep 
ing  them  safely  together,  the  experience  gained 
by  the  working  of  the  new  plan  encouraged  Frank 
lin  to  set  on  foot  a  subscription  for  a  large  Public 
Library,  to  be  held  for  the  common  benefit  of  the 
subscribers  to  the  fund. 

He  engaged  Mr.  Charles  Brockden,  a  well-known 
scrivener  and  conveyancer  of  Philadelphia,  to 
draw  up  articles  of  agreement  to  be  subscribed ; 
according  to  which,  every  subscriber  was  to  pay  a 
certain  sum  down  for  the  first  purchase  of  the 


IN   BUSINESS.  103 

book«,  and  an  annual  amount  to  buy  more  with. 
Headers  were  a  scanty  part  of  society  in  Philadel 
phia  at  that  time ;  with  all  his  efforts,  Franklin 
could  raise  but  fifty  persons,  and  they  chiefly 
young  tradesmen,  who  were  willing  to  pay  down 
forty  shillings  apiece,  besides  an  assessment  of  ten 
dollars  per  annum. 

But  the  undertaking  was  launched  with  this 
amount,  and  faith  and  industry  supplied  all  defi 
ciencies.  They  imported  their  books,  and  on  a 
given  day  each  week  the  library  was  opened  to 
subscribers.  The  latter  gave  written  notes  to  pay 
double  the  value  of  the  books  they  took  out,  un 
less  duly  returned. 

By  and  by,  similar  associations  sprang  up  else 
where, — not  only  in  other  towns,  but  in  the  other 
provinces.  It  became  fashionable  to  read  books ; 
and  fashion  often  works  more  effectually  than 
sense  or  reason.  The  people  generally  became 
better  acquainted  with  books.  Those  who  had 
volumes  of  their  own  to  contribute,  generously 
gave  them  to  the  library ;  so  that  it  became  more 
and  more  respectable  for  the  number  of  its  vol 
umes.  The  result  of  the  increased  reading  of  the 
citizens  of  Philadelphia  soon  made  itself  visible ; 
people  from  other  places  remarked  that  they  ap- 


104  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

peared  better  instructed  and  more  intelligent  thau 
men  of  the  same  class  in  other  communities. 

Franklin  never  forgot  one  remark  made  by  Mr. 
Brockden,  when  the  subscribers  to  the  enterprise 
were  about  to  sign  their  names  to  the  articles 
drafted  by  him.  These  articles  were  to  be  bind 
ing  on  all  of  them  for  the  term  of  fifty  years.  Said 
Mr.  Brockden — "You  are  young  men;  but  it  is 
scarcely  probable  that  any  of  you  will  live  to  see 
the  expiration  of  the  term  fixed  in  the  instru 
ment."  Many  of  them  did  live  over  the  term  of 
time  alluded  to,  although  their  company  changed 
the  character  of  its  organization  by  securing  a 
regular  charter,  which  gave  it  corporate  fosm  and 
legal  existence. 

One  little  reflection,  put  forth  by  Franklin  him 
self,  is  at  this  point  worth  heeding  by  young  per 
sons.  He  observed  that  a  good  plan  was  often 
injured  by  its  author's  going  about  personally  and 
thrusting  it  on  the  attention  of  others,  when  by 
keeping  himself  a  little  more  out  of  sight  it  would 
be  sure  of  speedy  success.  Therefore  he  laid  it 
down  as  a  rule  for  himself,  at  this  period  of  his 
life,  to  operate  his  schemes  as  much  as  possible 
through  others,  instead  of  exhibiting  himself; 


IN   BUSINESS.  105 

and  lie  found  that  it  worked  to  a  charm.  He  left 
his  testimony  that  the  present  sacrifice  of  vanity 
would  always  be  well  repaid  by  the  substantia) 
results  that  are  certain  to  follow. 


106  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  Y. 

GETTING    ALONG. 

TN  the  new  library  he  found  not  only  a  ready 
solace  from  the  cares  and  labors  of  his  busi 
ness,  but  likewise  a  means  of  improvement 
of  which  he  was  prompt  to  avail  himself.     He  re 
solved  now  to  pursue  a  fixed  course  of  readi/ig 
and  stud}7,  for  which  he  set  apart  at  least  one  or 
two  hours  each  day.     In  the  course  of  time,  this 
habit  would  not  fail  to  produce  its  peculiar  effect 
on  his  mind  and  character. 

Here  and  now  did  Benjamin  Franklin,  while  he 
was  daily  hard  at  work  at  his  printing  case  and 
printing  press,  industriously  build  upon  the  foun 
dations  so  hastily  laid  while  he  was  an  apprentice 
in  Boston.  He  says  he  did  what  he  could  to  re 
pair  the  loss  of  the  learned  education  his  father 
had  once  intended  for  him.  All  the  recreation  he 
allowed  himself  was  reading.  He  wasted  no  time 
in  games,  frolics,  or  taverns;  and  he  continued 


GETTING    ALONG.  107 

working  at  his  trade  with  all  the  energy  he  had 
at  command. 

In  fact,  it  was  a  rather  hard  row  he  had  to  hoe, 
at  best ;  he  was  in  debt  for  his  printing  office ;  he 
had  a  young  family ;  there  were  two  business  ri 
vals  who  had  started  before  him  in  Philadelphia ; 
and  there  was  need  that  every  hour  should  be 
profitably  employed.  But  he  felt  much  encour 
aged,  too,  at  finding  that  his  business  was  growing 
better,  and  his  circumstances  easier  in  conse 
quence.  He  continued  just  as  frugal  as  ever, 
keeping  constantly  in  mind  that  proverb  of  Solo 
mon  which  his  father  had  often  repeated  to  him 
while  a  boy, — "  Seest  thou  a  man  diligent  in  his 
calling  ?  He  shall  stand  before  Kings ;  he  shall 
not  stand  before  mean  men." 

Little  thought  he,  while  revolving  this  same 
proverb  in  his  mind,  that  it  would  be  by  reason 
of  his  diligence,  as  well  as  of  his  other  virtues,  that 
he  would  in  truth  "  stand  before  Kings."  But 
from  the  time  when  he  began  to  see  that  his  pros 
perity  was  the  result  of  his  diligence,  he  had  faith 
to  believe  that  industry  was  at  the  bottom  of  all 
success  in  life.  He  admits  that  he  did  not  expect 
to  "  stand  before  Kings,"  although  he  did  after 
wards  have  the  honor  to  stand  before  five,  and  to 


108  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

sit  down  to  eat  with  one, — the  King  of  Denmark. 
A  much  more  enviable  distinction  in  that  day 
than  in  this ;  yet  it  is  well  worth  noticing  on  ac 
count  of  the  literal  fulfillment,  in  his  case,  of  the 
proverb. 

He  speaks  himself  of  his  own  and  his  wife's 
thrift  at  this  time,  to  show  the  direct  results  of 
frugality.  He  always  consulted  Ms  wife  in  his 
undertakings,  obeying  another  proverb,  but  an 
old  English  one,  that  says, —  "He  that  would 
thrive,  must  ask  his  wife."  He  sets  it  down  in 
his  autobiography  as  a  piece  of  singular  fortune, 
that  he  had  a  wife  who  was  just  as  saving  and 
industrious  as  himself.  She  took  hold  with  all 
possible  cheerfulness,  and  helped  him  in  his  busi 
ness  ;  folding  and  stitching  pamphlets,  buying  old 
linen  rags  (that  was  before  the  days  of  cotton) 
for  the  papermakers,  and  tending  shop  just  as  he 
would  have  done  himself. 

To  show  how  prudently  they  lived, — they  kept 
no  servants  about  them  to  be  idle ;  their  table 
was  set  with  none  but  plain  and  simple  food ;  and 
their  furniture  was  as  cheap  as  possible.  For  a 
long  while,  he  ate  for  his  breakfast  nothing  more 
than  bread  and  milk,  using  no  tea;  and  this 
frugal  mea1  he  took  from  an  earthen  porringer 


GETTING   ALONG.  109 

which  cost  him  only  two  pennies,  with  a  pewter 
spoon !  This  was  the  style  in  which  a  philoso 
pher  set  up  housekeeping  with  his  wife, — a  man 
who  was  yet  to  represent  his  country  abroad,  and 
to  u  stand  before  kings." 

He  soon  after  had  occasion,  however,  to  lament 
the  ill  effects  of  prosperity,  for  it  tempted  luxury 
to  come  into  his  dwelling.  He  says  that  he  was 
greatly  surprised,  one  morning,  on  being  called  to 
breakfast,  to  find  that  a  china  bowl  was  set  before 
him,  with  a  silver  spoon  in  it.  He  knew  nothing 
of  it  beforehand,  his  faithful  wife  being  resolved 
to  greet  him  with  a  new  pleasure.  He  states 
that  this  present  cost  her  "  the  enormous  sum  of 
three  and  twenty  shillings."  The  only  excuse 
she  plead  for  such  an  act  of  extravagance  was, 
that  she  thought  her  husband  was  as  deserving 
of  a  china  bowl  and  silver  spoon  as  any  of  his 
neighbors.  This  was  the  first  piece  of  china  and 
the  first  piece  of  plate  introduced  into  his  family. 
They  had  a  great  deal  of  it  afterwards. 

His  religious  views  and  feelings  now  claimed 
a  large  share  of  his  attention.  He  felt  it  to  be 
necessary  to  take  a  serious  review  of  his  life  and 
character,  and  endeavor  to  shape  his  conduct  so 

as  to  challenge  the  closest  scrutiny  of  his  own 
10 


.  110  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

conscience,  and  merit  the  approbation  of  his 
Maker.  Though  he  had  been  educated  in  the 
tenets  of  the  Presbyterians,  he  thought  some  of 
their  points  of  faith  unintelligible,  and  others 
doubtful ;  and  he  therefore  declined  to  attend  on 
public  worship,  making  of  Sunday  what  he  called 
his  "  studying  day."  He  confesses  that  he  was 
never  without  religious  principles.  He  did  not, 
for  example,  question  the  existence  of  God;  or 
that  He  created  and  governs  the  world ;  or  that 
the  most  acceptable  service  of  God  was  the  doing 
good  to  man ;  or  that  the  soul  is  immortal ;  or 
that  all  crime  will  be  punished,  and  all  virtue 
will  be  rewarded,  either  here  or  hereafter. 

These  points  he  believed  to  be  the  very  essen 
tials  of  religion ;  and  he  respected  all  creeds,  in 
proportion  to  the  infusion  which  they  had  of 
these  very  principles.  And  hence,  respecting  all 
creeds,  and  not  being  unwilling  to  believe  that 
"even  the  wojst  had  some  good  effects,"  he  care 
fully  avoided  all  discourse  that  might  incline  a 
person  to  think  less  of  his  own  religion.  Besides 
this  example  of  his  toleration,  he  contributed 
something  to  every  sect  that  had  it  in  mind  to 
erect  a  new  place  of  public  worship,  never  refus 
ing  their  solicitations.  And  during  the  whole 


GETTING    ALONG.  Ill 

time  that  he  declined  attending  church,  he  still 
paid  in  his  annual  subscription  to  the  only  Pres 
byterian  minister  or  meeting  they  had  in  Phila 
delphia. 

The  minister  used  to  come  and  visit  Franklin, 
and  admonish  him  of  his  duty  to  attend  on  his 
preaching,  and  he  admits  that  he  was  prevailed 
to  do  so,  from  time  to  time :  once  for  five  Sun 
days  together.  He  says  he  would  have  gone  to 
hear  him  preach  regularly,  but  for  the  fact  that 
he  preached  discourses  that  were  filled  with  po 
lemic  arguments,  or  matters  of  creed,  which  to  his 
mind  seemed  "  dry,  uninteresting,  and  unedify- 
ing."  He  thought  such  sermons  calculated  to 
make  good  Presbyterians,  rather  than  good  citi 
zens.  And  therefore  he  stayed  away,  and  pursued 
his  Sunday  course  of  studies. 

But  Franklin  speaks  of  one  sermon  in  particu 
lar,  which  he  thought  ought  certainly  to  prove  a 
test  of  the  value  of  his  preaching,  so  far  as  he  was 
to  be  benefited.  The  text  was  from  Philippians, 
reading  thus: — "Finally,  brethren,  whatsoever 
things  are  true,  honest,  just,  pure,  lovely,  or  of 
good  report,  if  there  be  any  virtue  or  any  praise, 
think  on  these  things."  Franklin  thought  that, 
from  a  text  of  this  sort,  the  preacher  could  not 


112  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

easily  go  wide  of  a  practical  discourse  on  morals 
and  morality.  Instead  of  that,  he  proceeded  to 
lay  down  five  points,  as  foPows:  1st.  Keeping 
holy  the  Sabbath  day.  2a.  Being  diligent  in 
reading  the  holy  Scriptures.  3d.  Attending  duly 
the  public  worship.  4th.  Partaking  of  the  Sacra 
ment.  5th.  Paying  a  due  respect  to  God's  minis 
ters.  Franklin  thought  himself  that  all  these 
might  be  good  things,  but  they  were  not  the  kind 
of  good  things  to  be  expected  from  that  text; 
and,  despairing  of  getting  what  he  craved  from 
any  other  text  if  not  from  that,  he  confesses  that 
he  was  "  disgusted,  and  attended  his  preaching 
no  more." 

His  mind,  however,  was  profoundly  exercised 
about  moral  improvement.  He  aimed  to  have 
his  head  and  heart  grow  in  wisdom  and  purity 
together.  It  seems  that,  a  few  years  before,  he 
had  sat  down  and  composed  for  his  own  private 
use  a  form  of  prayer,  or  liturgy,  which  he  had 
entitled — "Articles  of  Belief  and  Acts  of  Reli 
gion  ;"  and  he  went  back  to  the  regular  and  con 
scientious  use  of  this  little  composition,  declining 
to  attend  upon  public  worship  any  more.  He 
does  not  attempt  to  excuse  his  conduct  in  this 
respect,  leaving  results  to  speak  for  him. 


GETTING    ALONG.  113 

Along  with  the  discipline  obtained  by  this 
course,  he  was  led  to  conceive  a  project  of 
actually  reaching  a  state  of  "moral  perfection ;"  a 
bold  enterprise  for  a  young  man,  but  one  in 
which  a  trial  would  lead  him  to  at  least  a  better 
understanding  of  himself  than  he  ever  possessed 
before.  He  says  that  he  wished  "  to  live  without 
committing  any  fault  at  any  time,  and  to  conquer 
all  that  either  natural  inclination,  custom,  or  com 
pany  might  lead  him  into."  He  thought,  that, 
since  he  knew  what  was  right  and  what  was 
wrong,  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  always 
doing  the  one  and  avoiding  the  other.  But  he 
little  understood  the  character  or  extent  of  the 
task  he  had  undertaken.  He  could  no  more  than 
give  his  attention  to  one  fault,  in  order  to  correct 
and  remove  it,  when  he  found  that  he  had  com 
mitted  a  fault  in  another  direction !  To  use  his 
own  phrase  concerning  the  matter, — "habit  took 
the  advantage  of  inattention,  and  inclination  was 
sometimes  too  strong  for  reason." 

His  many  slips  had  the  effect,  however,  to  open 
his  eyes  to  what  he  would  not  so  soon  have  dis 
covered  in  any  other  way ;  he  became  wise  in  a 
direction  where  he  might  long  have  been  in  dark 
ness,  but  for  this  faulty  experiment:  and  he  at 
10* 


114  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

last  came  to  the  conclusion  that  no  person  could 
become  completely  virtuous  from  the  conviction 
that  it  was  for  his  interest  to  become  so,  and  that 
all  opposite  habits  must  be  broken,  and  really 
good  ones  established  in  their  places,  before  one 
can  rely  on  a  steady  rectitude  of  conduct. 

In  order  to  bring  about,  in  his  own  case,  the 
establishment  of  thoroughly  good  habits  in  place 
of  the  contrary,  he  resorted  to  a  method  original 
with  himself,  extremely  ingenious  while  likewise 
simple,  and  one  which  deserves  the  closest  exam 
ination,  if  not  the  most  conscientious  imitation, 
of  all  young  men  of  like  desires  and  aspirations. 
He  sat  down  and  made  a  catalogue  of  all  the  lead 
ing  virtues  he  had  ever  met  with  in  the  course 
of  his  reading,  enumerating  thirteen  in  all,  and 
affixing  to  each  a  short  precept  which  illustrated 
its  meaning.  They  are  all  given  here,  in  their 
order,  for  the  sake  of  more  clearly  showing  the 
nature  and  extent  of  the  task  which  he  had 
resolutely  set  before  him : 

1.  TEMPERANCE. — Eat  not    to    dulness;    drink 
not  to  elevation. 

2.  SILENCE. — Speak  not  but  what  may  benefit 
others  or  yourself ;  avoid  trifling  conversation. 


GETTING   ALONG.  115 

3.  ORDER. — Let  all  things  have  their  places ; 
let  each  part  of  your  business  have  its  time. 

4.  RESOLUTION. — Resolve  to  perform  what  you 
ought ;  perform  without  fail  what  you  resolve. 

5.  FRUGALITY. — Make   no    expense  but  to   do 
good  to   others   or  yourself;   that  is,  waste  no 
thing. 

6.  INDUSTRY. — Lose  no  time;   be   always   em 
ployed  in  something  useful ;  cut  off  all  unneces 
sary  actions. 

7.  SINCERITY. — Use    no   hurtful   deceit ;   think 
innocently  and  justly ;  and,  if  you  speak,  speak 
accordingly. 

8.  JUSTICE. — Wrong  none  by  doing  injuries,  or 
omitting  the  benefits  that  are  your  duty. 

9.  MODERATION. — Avoid  extremes;  forbear  re 
senting    injuries    so   much    as  you  think    they 
deserve. 

10.  CLEANLINESS. — Tolerate  no  uricleanliness  in 
body,  clothes,  or  habitation. 

11.  TRANQUILLITY. — Be  not  disturbed  at  trifles, 
or  at  accidents  common  or  unavoidable. 

12.  CHASTITY.  — 

13.  HUMILITY. — Imitate  Jesus  and  Socrates. 

His  object  was  to  form  habits,  or,  as  he  ex- 


116  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

presses  it,  "to  acquire  habitudes/'  of  virtue;  ana 
lie  conceived  a  plan  by  which  he  thought  he  could 
make  more  headway  than  by  any  other. 

He  determined  to  rivet  his  attention  on  one  of 
these  virtues  at  a  time,  rather  than  attempt  to  com 
pass  them  all  at  once,  and  thus  lose  the  impres 
sion  of  all.  After  mastering  one  of  them,  he 
would  go  on  to  another ;  and  thus  pass  through 
the  whole  catalogue.  And  he  reasoned  again, 
that  his  conscientious  practice  of  one  virtue, 
would  make  the  practice  of  the  following  ones 
all  the  easier,  and  chiefly  because  he  would 
approach  them  with  habits  of  virtue  already 
formed. 

He  naturally  began  with  the  virtue  of  Temper 
ance,  he  says,  because  "  it  tends  to  procure  that 
coolness  and  clearness  of  head  which  is  so  neces 
sary  where  constant  vigilance  was  to  be  kept  up, 
and  a  guard  maintained  against  the  unremitting 
attraction  of  ancient  habits  and  the  force  of  per 
petual  temptations."  After  Temperance  should 
be  duly  attended  to,  Silence  would  follow  more 
easily ;  and  as  he  wished  to  gain  knowledge 
while  he  likewise  improved  in  virtue,  and  re 
membered  that  it  was  obtained  rather  through 
the  ear  than  by  means  of  the  tongue,  and  also 


GETTING   ALONG.  117 

desired  to  conquer  a  faulty  habit  of  "  prattling, 
punning,  and  jesting," — he  gave  the  second  place 
on  his  list  to  Silence. 

Then  followed  Order;  by  obeying  this  rule 
strictly,  he  was  left  with  time  to  attend  both  to 
his  own  improvement  and  to  his  studies.  Next, 
Resolution ;  this  strengthened  the  previous  habits, 
and  held  him  firmly  on  the  course  of  acquiring 
those  which  were  to  follow.  Frugality  and  Indus 
try  would  help  to  extricate  him  from  the  remain 
der  of  his  debt,  and,  by  putting  him  on  the  road 
to  independence,  would  make  Sincerity,  Justice, 
and  the  rest  of  the  virtues  comparatively  easy  to 
acquire. 

In  order  to  carry  out  his  plan  with  regularity, — 
which  alone  would  make  it  of  much  worth  to 
him, — he  felt  that  a  daily  examination  into  his 
heart  and  conduct  would  be  necessary ;  and  to  fa 
cilitate  this  practice  to  the  utmost,  he  made  a  lit 
tle  Book,  in  which  he  allotted  a  whole  page  to 
each  one  of  the  virtues.  Each  page  was  ruled 
with  red  ink  so  as  to  make  seven  columns, — a  col 
umn  for  every  day  in  the  week;  and  he  marked 
each  column  at  the  top  with  a  letter  for  the  day. 
Then  he  ruled  these  columns  across  with  thirteen 
more  red  lines,  placing  at  the  commencement  of 


118  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

each  line,  on  the  extreme  left,  the  letter  signifying 
one  of  the  virtues,  in  its  due  order.  And,  finally, 
to  carry  out  his  plan,  following  along  on  the  Vir 
tue  line  he  could  make  a  little  black  spot  under 
each  day  of  the  week,  as  lettered  in  the  column, 
for  every  trespass  of  which  he  might  find  himself 
guilty  against  that  particular  virtue  on  that  par 
ticular  day. 

This  plan  enabled  him  to  give  a  week's  atten 
tion  to  every  one  of  the  virtues  in  its  turn  ;  and 
he  would  go  through  with  his  catalogue  every 
three  months  (thirteen  weeks),  or  four  times  in 
the  course  of  a  year.  For  example, — his  first 
week's  exercise  was  to  keep  clear  of  sinning 
against  the  virtue  of  Temperance ;  and  the  next 
week's,  against  Silence  ;  the  next  against  Order ; 
and  so  on  to  the  end.  In  giving  all  his  attention 
the  first  week  to  Temperance,  and  trying  to  avoid 
all  errors  against  that  virtue,  he  left  the  other  vir 
tues  to  take  their  chance,  although  he  was  strict 
to  mark  down  every  night  the  remembered  faults 
of  the  day.  If,  too,  he  could  keep  his  Temper 
ance  line  clear  of  spots  for  the  first  week,  he  felt 
so  much  strengthened  in  that  virtue  as  to  extend 
his  attention  to  the  next  virtue  at  the  same  time ; 
and  for  the  next  week  he  would  strive  to  keep 


GETTING   ALONG.  119 

both  lines  free  from  blemishes.  Franklin  compares 
his  labor  over  his  morals  to  the  work  in  a  garden ; 
the  man  having  a  garden  to  clear  does  not  try  to 
get  the  weeds  all  out  of  the  soil  at  once,  but  works 
on  one  of  the  beds  at  a  time,  and,  having  got  this 
clean,  goes  on  to  the  second.  And  he  hoped  to 
persevere  with  his  self-improvement  until  he  could 
successively  clear  his  lines  of  all  their  spots,  so 
that,  after  going  through  a  number  of  courses,  he 
should  be  happy  beyond  expression  in  running  his 
eyes  over  a  clean  book,  after  a  thirteen  weeks' 
daily  search  and  inquiry. 

He  prefixed  three  Mottoes  to  his  little  Book, — 
the  first  from  Addison,  the  second  from  Cicero, 
and  the  third  from  the  Proverbs  of  Solomon. 
That  from  Addison  was  taken  from  his  play  called 
*  Cato,'  and  read  thus : 

"  Here  will  I  hold.     If  there's  a  power  above  us, 
(And  that  there  is,  all  nature  cries  aloud 
Through  all  her  works,) — He  must  delight  in  virtue : 
And  that  which  he  delights  in  must  be  happy." 

The  motto  from  Cicero  read, — 

"  0  vitse  Philosophia  dux  !  0  virtutum  indagatrix  expul- 
trixque  vitiorum  !  Unus  dies,  bene  et  ex  prseeeptis  tuis  actus, 
peccanti  immortalitati  est  anteponendus." 


120  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

That  from  the  Proverbs  read  in  this  way : — 

"  Length  of  days  is  in  her  right  hand,  and  in  her  left  hand 
riches  and  honor.  Her  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness,  and 
all  her  paths  are  peace." 

In  addition  to  these  significant  mottoes,  he  also 
prefixed  to  his  examination  tables  the  following 
little  prayer,  the  product  of  his  own  pen : — 

"0,  powerful  Goodness  !  bountiful  Father  !  merciful  Guide  ! 
Increase  in  me  that  wisdom  which  discovers  my  truest  inter 
est.  Strengthen  my  resolution  to  perform  what  that  wisdom 
dictates.  Accept  my  kind  offices  to  thy  other  children,  as  the 
only  return  in  my  power  for  thy  continual  favors  to  me." 

There  was  likewise  a  little  prayer  which  he  ex 
tracted  from  the  poet  Thomson,  and  often  used  in 
addition  to  the  other. 

In  order  to  make  the  very  most  of  his  time  and 
opportunities,  he  knew  that  Order  required  of  him 
to  put  every  part  of  his  business  in  its  proper 
place  and  hour;  and  upon  one  page  of  his  little 
book  he  drew  up  a  scheme,  or  plan,  for  occupying 
the  twenty-four  hours  of  any  natural  day.  He 
divided  the  day  into  several  parts,  thus  : — from  5 
to  8  in  the  morning,  he  set  down  this  rule  for 
himself, — "  Rise,  wash,  and  address  Powerful  Good 
ness  !  Contrive  day's  business,  and  take  the  reso 
lution  of  the  day ;  prosecute  the  present  study, 
and  breakfast."  From  8  to  12,—"  Work."  From 


GETTING   ALONG.  121 

12  to  2, — "  Read,  or  look  over  my  accounts,  and 
dine."  From  2  to  6,— "Work."  From  6  to  10, 
— "Put  things  in  their  places.  Supper.  Music 
or  diversion,  or  conversation.  Examination  of 
the  day."  From  10  to  5,— "  Sleep."  Each  morn 
ing  he  asked  himself  the  question, — "What 
good  shall  I  do  to-day  ?" — and  each  evening, — 
"  What  good  have  I  done  to-day  ?" 

For  a  long  time  he  pursued  this  rigid  course  of 
life  and  conduct,  saving  every  hour  of  his  time, 
and  undergoing  a  daily  scrutiny  at  his  own  hands 
which  few  young  men,  even  of  those  resolutely 
bent  on  self-culture,  would  have  had  the  courage 
and  patience  to  carry  out.  It  was  nothing  strange 
that  his  little  book  soon  began  to  remind  him  how 
speckled  with  faults  he  was.  He  was  obliged  to 
scratch  out  the  marks  on  his  pages  in  order  to  use 
his  book  over  again  for  a  new  course  ;  and,  in  the 
process,  he  made  holes  in  the  paper.  To  obviate 
the  necessity  of  ruling  new  pages,  he  used  tablets, 
from  whose  surface  the  pencil  marks  could  be 
readily  rubbed  out  with  a  wet  sponge. 

This  exercise  he  kept  up  for  some  time,  till,  at 
length,  instead  of  going  through  four  courses  of 
self-discipline  a  year,  he  went  through  but  one. 

After  that,  but  one  course  in  several  years.     And 
11 


122  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

finally,  he  omitted  them  altogether,  his  travelling 
and  voyaging  and  foreign  business  preventing 
such  regularity  as  was  necessary  to  make  the  thing 
effective.  Still,  he  always  carried  his  little  book 
about  with  him,  as  a  reminder  of  what  it  was  pos 
sible  for  him  to  attain  to.  The  virtue  of  Order 
gave  him  more  trouble  than  any  other ;  it  came 
the  harder  for  him  to  practice  the  habits  of  this 
virtue,  from  the  fact  that  he  was  not  born  with  a 
tendency  that  way.  Nor  was  he  more  fortunate 
with  the  virtue  of  Method ;  he  had  hitherto 
trusted  to  his  excellent  memory,  and  with  the  help 
of  that,  managed  to  make  things  go  off  well 
enough;  but  when  he  came  to  setting  down  to  a 
regular  siege  before  so  formidable  a  virtue,  striv 
ing  to  run  his  parallels  closer  and  closer  all  the 
while,  he  found  it  cost  him  so  much  trouble  that 
he  fain  would  have  given  it  over  in  despair :  he 
complained  of  making  but  slow  progress,  if  any, 
and  of  such  frequent  backslidings,  too,  that  he  was 
like  to  rest  content  with  a  faulty  character  in  at 
least  that  regard. 

On  reviewing  his  efforts,  from  time  to  time,  es 
pecially  when  he  chanced  to  fall  into  a  weary 
mood,  he  would  be  strongly  tempted  to  relax 
them,  and  to  let  his  more  pardonable  faults  go ; 


GETTING  ALONG.  123 

arguing  to  himself  that  nobody  liked  a  perfect 
character,  even  if  one  were  within  the  reach  of 
man,  and  that  a  well-meaning  person  ought  to  let 
just  a  few  faults  remain,  if  only  to  keep  his 
friends  in  countenance.  So  hard  a  matter  is  it  to 
live  strictly  up  to  the  law  of  perfection,  for  so 
much  as  the  term  of  a  single  day. 

On  the  subject  of  Order,  he  pronounced  himself 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  arm  of  discipline.  He 
had  little  or  no  hope  for  himself  on  that  score. 
"When  he  had  grown  old,  he  was  made  aware  of 
his  sad  deficiency  in  this  respect,  as  his  memory 
was  not  at  hand  to  make  up  for  it ;  but  in  regard 
to  the  other  virtues  of  his  list,  he  left  his  emphatic 
testimony  that,  though  he  fell  far  short  of  the  per 
fection  at  which  he  aimed,  he  nevertheless  was 
made  "  a  better  and  a  happier  man"  by  attempting 
it  than  if  he  had  not  tried  at  all ;  which  reminded 
him  that  those  who  strove  to  make  their  hand 
writing  perfect  by  imitating  the  engraved  copies, 
though  they  never  made  as  perfect  copies  as  the 
originals,  still  came  nearer  to  the  excellence  of  the 
standard  than  if  they  had  never  made  any  attempt 
to  reach  it,  and  greatly  improved  their  hand  by 
the  means. 

Franklin  placed  it  on  record,  in  his  seventy? 


124  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

ninth  year,  that  to  this  "artifice" — as  he  termed 
his  self-discipline  with  the  aid  of  his  little  book, — 
he  owed,  under  God's  blessing,  the  constant  fe 
licity  of  his  life.  To  Temperance  he  declared 
that  he  owed  his  good  health  and  what  was  left 
him  of  a  good  constitution  ;  to  Industry  and  Fru 
gality,  the  comfortable  circumstances  in  which  he 
early  found  himself,  as  well  as  the  reputation 
which  he  enjoyed  in  the  world;  and  to  Sincerity 
and  Justice  the  confidence  which  his  countrymen 
reposed  in  him  and  the  many  honorable  employ 
ments  they  entrusted  to  him;  while  to  the  whole 
body,  or  mass,  of  these  virtues,  feeble  as  was  his 
hold  on  them  at  the  best,  he  ascribed  that  even 
temper  and  cheerful  habit  in  conversation  which 
ever  attracted  to  him  the  company  of  the  young. 

In  pursuing  his  course  of  moral  culture,  while 
he  strove  to  be  truly  religious,  he  avoided  all  the 
creeds  of  his  time ;  and  the  reason  he  gave  was 
simply  this, — that  "being  fully  persuaded  of  the 
utility  and  excellency  of  his  (my)  method,  and 
that  it  might  be  serviceable  to  people  in  all  reli 
gions,  and  intending  some  time  to  publish  it,  he 
(I)  would  not  have  any  thing  in  it  that  should 
prejudice  any  one,  of  any  sect,  against  it." 

He  did  purpose  to  write  a  little  book  on  these 


GETTING  ALONG.  125 

several  virtues,  showing  the  advantages  of  posses 
sing  and  the  mischiefs  of  being  without  them,  to 
be  styled  "  The  Art  of  Virtue ;"  and  he  thought 
it  would  have  accomplished  vastly  more  good  than 
mere  exhortation,  since  it  indicated  the  means  and 
manner  of  obtaining  virtue, — but  he  never  found 
the  right  opportunity  to  write  and  publish  his 
commentary.  The  many  hints  he  had  jotted  down 
to  make  use  of,  were  laid  away  till  his  old  age ; 
his  close  occupation  in  early  life  and  his  constant 
public  employment  later  in  life  preventing  his  car 
rying  out  his  plan.  But  the  central  idea  he  pro 
posed  to  treat  of  in  his  little  commentary,  would 
have  been  this,  as  stated  in  his  own  language  ; — 
"  that  vicious  actions  are  not  hurtful  because  they  are 
forbidden,  but  forbidden  because  they  are  hurtful." 
And  he  would  have  proceeded  to  reason  that  it 
was,  therefore,  every  one's  interest  to  be  virtuous, 
who  wished  to  be  happy  even  in  this  world.  He 
would  have  further  labored  to  convince  young 
persons  "  that  no  qualities  are  so  likely  to  make 
a  poor  man's  fortune  as  those  of  probity  and 
integrity." 

There  were  but  twelve  Virtues  set  down  in  his 
catalogue,  at  first ;  but  being  one  day  informed  by 
a  Quaker  friend  that  people  generally  thought  him 
n* 


126  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

proud,  and  even  insolent  and  overbearing  when 
conducting  an  argument,  he  formed  a  resolution 
to  try  and  cure  himself  of  this  vice  if  it  could  pos 
sibly  be  done ;  so  he  added  Humility  to  his  list, 
and  appended  the  broadest  possible  meaning  and 
signification  to  the  word.  By  recurring  to  his  list 
of  virtues,  it  will  be  seen  that  Humility  stands 
last  on  the  list, — added  in  consequence  of  the 
frank  suggestion  of  his  Quaker  friend. 

To  carry  out  his  resolution  to  keep  down  every 
appearance  of  undue  pride,  he  made  a  rule  never 
to  be  too  strong  in  making  his  own  assertions,  or 
to  venture  upon  openly  contradicting  others.  Even 
in  the  usual  discussions  in  the  Junto,  he  forbore 
to  use  language  that  implied  a  fixed  opinion,  dis 
carding  from  his  phrases  such  positive  words  as 
"certainly"  and  "undoubtedly,"  and  employing 
in  their  place  such  words  as  "I  conceive",  "I  ap 
prehend,"  and  "I  imagine,"  or  "It  so  appears  to 
me  at  present." 

When  he  wished  to  correct  in  another  what  he 
felt  certain  to  be  an  error,  instead  of  going  at  him 
with  a  flat  contradiction  he  began  by  remarking 
that,  under  certain  circumstances  perhaps  his 
opinion  would  be  right,  but  in  the  present  case 
there  appeared  to  him  to  be  some  difference, — and 


GETTING  ALONG.  127 

so  on.  By  practising  this  style  of  speech  for  a  time, 
he  discovered  that  it  began  to  have  a  marked  influ 
ence  over  his  manners,  and  that  he  could  indulge 
quite  freely  in  conversation  with  others,  on  every 
variety  of  topic,  with  a  great  deal  of  positive 
pleasure.  This  very  modesty  made  room  for  his 
opinions,  whereas  a  dogmatic  and  dictatorial  style 
of  speaking  would  have  debarred  him  from  a 
hearing  at  once.  By  his  conciliatory  manner,  too, 
he  succeeded  in  winning  over  to  his  views  many 
a  person  who  would  otherwise  have  stood  out  and 
combated  both  himself  and  them.  It  was  but 
another  illustration  of  the  old  fable  of  the  Sun 
and  the  North  "Wind,  experimenting  on  the  trav 
eller  in  his  cloak. 

For  more  than  fifty  years,  beginning  with  his 
thirtieth  year,  he  records  that  no  one  had  heard  a 
dogmatical  expression  escape  him.  He  ascribed 
it  to  this  habit,  next  perhaps  to  that  of  integrity, 
that  he  obtained  an  influence  with  his  fellow- 
citizens  at  so  early  a  day :  he  was  a  member  of 
the  public  councils,  and,  though  a  bad  speaker 
and  halting  in  his  language,  he  rarely  failed  to 
carry  his  point. 

And  this  leads  him  to  speak  of  pride ;  of  which 
he  says  with  marked  emphasis — "Disguise  it, 


128  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 

struggle  with  it,  stifle  it,  mortify  it  as  much,  as 
one  pleases,  it  is  still  alive,  and  will  every  now 
and  then  peep  out  and  show  itself."  He  never 
dared  think  he  had  himself  overcome  it,  for 
then  he  would  only  have  been  proud  of  hia 
humility. 


BECOMING   A   PUBLIC   MAN.  129 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

BECOMING    A    PUBLIC    MAN. 

HIS  continual  reading  was  not  without  its 
results,  for  he  read  with  an  object,  and  not 
in  a  desultory  manner.  He  jotted  down 
such  thoughts  as  struck  him  on  the  subject  of 
History,  and  they  are  preserved.  His  reflections 
on  one  topic,  in  particular,  led  him  to  construct  a 
creed  for  his  own  use,  which  is  thus  expressed  in 
few  words : — 

"  That  there  is  one  God,  who  made  all  things. 

"  That  He  governs  the  world  by  his  providence. 

"  That  He  ought  to  be  worshipped  by  adora 
tion,  prayer,  and  thanksgiving. 

"But  the  most  acceptable  service  to  God,  is 
doing  good  to  man. 

"  That  the  soul  is  immortal. 

"And  that  God  will  certainly  reward  virtue  and 
punish  vice,  either  here  or  hereafter." 

He  would  have  the  sect  founded  on  the  above 


130  BENJAMIN    FEANKLIN. 

creed  spread  at  first  among  young  men,  and  single 
men ;  each  person  who  was  initiated  into  the  same 
should  not  only  subscribe  to  the  creed,  but  should 
also  have  gone  faithfully  through  the  thirteen 
weeks'  examination  and  practice,  according  to  the 
schedule  described  in  the  previous  chapter ;  the  so 
ciety  was  to  be  kept  secret  for  a  while,  and  its  seve 
ral  members  should  look  around  their  young  men 
friends  to  find  those  to  whom  it  would  be  perfectly 
safe  and  proper  to  communicate  the  scheme.  They 
were  to  style  themselves  "  The  Society  of  the  Free 
and  Easy;"  free  from  vice  by  the  practice  of  the 
virtues,  and,  by  the  practice  of  industry  and  fru 
gality  free  from  debt,  which  puts  one  under  con 
straint,  and  makes  him  a  sort  of  slave  to  his 
creditors. 

Franklin  did  not  make  very  much  headway  with 
his  new  society,  on  account  of  the  strict  attention 
he  was  forced  to  pay  at  this  time  to  his  business ; 
and  the  number  of  his  public  employments  after 
ward  made  it  impossible  for  him  to  take  up  the 
scheme — which  he  always  believed  an  excellent 
one — and  carry  it  forward  to  a  wide  and  successful 
operation. 

He  published,  in  the  year  1732,  a  little  work 
which  would  have  given  him  undying  fame  among 


BECOMING   A   PUBLIC    MAN.  131 

his  countrymen,  had  he  written  and  compiled  no 
thing  else ;  and  that  was  his  Almanac,  known  as 
"Poor  Richard."  It  was  at  first  published  under 
the  assumed  name  of  Richard  Saunders  ;  but  as  it 
was  repeated  year  by  year,  it  finally  received  the 
name  of  "  Poor  Richard's  Almanac,"  and  had  a 
life,  all  together,  of  about  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
His  plan  was,  in  making  it  up,  to  entertain  people 
while  he  instructed  them;  and  he  brought  his 
shrewd  wisdom  and  irresistible  mother-wit  to  bear 
upon  his  project  with  wonderful  success.  "Poor 
Richard"  came  to  be  in  such  demand  that  he  sold 
every  year  as  many  as  ten  thousand  copies,  and 
reaped  a  generous  profit  from  his  labor.  It  was 
one  of  those  productions  which  fitted  exactly  into 
the  wants  of  the  times,  and  therefore  became  at 
once  popular. 

Seeing  how  eagerly  it  was  read,  and  that  there 
was  no  locality  within  reach  to  which  it  did  not 
penetrate,  as  a  welcome  friend,  he  conceived  the 
idea  of  engrafting  upon  it,  as  a  mere  Almanac,  & 
body  of  homely  and  quaint  sentiments  and  mot 
toes,  filled  with  the  meat  of  meaning,  which  could 
not  so  easily  be  found  by  the  common  people  any 
where  else.  It  became,  therefore,  a  sort  of  library 
of  wisdom, — a  compendium  of  common  sense, — 


132  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

a  storehouse  of  wise  and  homely  proverbs,  —  to 
which  everybody  could  go,  and  freely  help  him 
self  to  such  as  he  wanted.  As  he  described  the 
contents  himself,  he  says — "  I  filled  all  the  little 
spaces  that  occurred  between  the  remarkable  days 
in  the  calendar  with  proverbial  sentences,  chiefly 
by  such  as  inculcated  industry  and  frugality  as  the 
means  of  procuring  wealth  and  thereby  securing 
virtue ;  it  being  more  difficult  for  a  man  in  want 
to  act  always  honestly,  as,  to  use  here  one  of  those 
proverbs,  it  is  hard  for  an  empty  sack  to  stand  up 
right." 

It  is  not  to  be  thought,  however,  that  the  prov 
erbs  uttered  each  year  by  "  Poor  Richard"  were 
the  coin  of  Franklin's  brain ;  they  contained,  on 
the  contrary,  the  wisdom  of  many  ages  and  many 
nations.  Franklin  assembled  them  into  a  con 
nected  discourse,  which  he  prefixed  to  the  Alma 
nac  of  1757,  as  a  wise  and  shrewd  old  man's  har 
angue  to  the  people  gathered  at  an  auction ;  and 
by  thus  bringing  these  bits  of  sage  counsel  to 
gether,  he  believed  he  could  make  a  greater 
*  impression. 

Nor  was  he  at  fault  in  his  calculation.  He 
enjoyed  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  piece  copied 
in  all  the  newspapers  of  the  country,  and  printed 


BECOMING   A    PUBLIC    MAN.  133 

again  on  large  sheets  of  paper  in  England,  where 
they  were  stuck  up  on  the  walls  of  the  dwellings. 
It  was  translated  into  French,  and  large  numbers  of 
the  printed  sheets  were  purchased  by  the  clergy  and 
gentry  to  distribute  among  their  poor  parishioners 
and  tenants.  The  effect  of  it  was  such  in  the 
province  of  Pennsylvania  that  it  was  believed  it 
put  a  stop,  in  a  degree,  to  the  use  of  foreign  lux 
uries,  in  consequence  of  which  there  was  a  great 
deal  more  money  kept  at  home  than  was  ever 
known  before. 

A  few  of  the  more  current  proverbs  and  "  wise 
saws"  are  given  here,  from  this  famous  produc 
tion.  It  is  to  be  remembered,  however,  that  they 
are  taken  from  the  lips  (in  imagination)  of  a  white- 
haired  old  man  who  is  attending  an  auction  sale 
of  a  broken  merchant's  goods,  and  to  whom  the 
bystanders  put  the  questions — "Pray,  Father 
Abraham,  what  think  ye  of  the  times  ?  Won't 
these  heavy  taxes  quite  ruin  the  country?  How 
shall  we  ever  be  able  to  pay  them  ?  What  would 
you  advise  us  to  ?"  The  old  man  stood  up  and 
answered  them — "  If  you'd  have  my  advice,  I'll 
give  it  to  you  in  short ;  '  for  a  word  to  the  wise  is 
enough,  and  many  words  won't  fill  a  bushel/  as 
Poor  Richard  says." 

12 


134  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

The  old  man  goes  on  to  speak  of  the  taxes ;  and 
tells  his  listeners  that  if  those  laid  by  the  govern 
ment  were  the  only  ones  we  had  to  pay,  they  would 
get  along  very  well ;  they  were  taxed  twice  as 
much  by  their  idleness,  three  times  as  much  by 
their  pride,  and  four  times  as  much  by  their  folly. 
And,  upon  this,  he  quotes  Poor  Richard  as  say 
ing — "  God  helps  those  who  help  themselves." 
"  Sloth,  like  rust,  consumes  faster  than  labor 
wears ;  while  the  key  often  used  is  always  bright." 
"Dost  thou  love  life ?  then  do  not  squander  time, 
for  that's  the  stuff  life  is  made  of."  "  The  sleep 
ing  fox  catches  no  poultry,  and  there  will  be  sleep 
ing  enough  in  the  grave."  "  Lost  time  is  never 
found  again ;  and  what  we  call  time  enough,  al 
ways  proves  little  enough."  "  Sloth  makes  all 
things  difficult,  but  industry  all  easy."  "He  that 
rises  late  must  trot  all  day,  and  shall  scarce  over 
take  his  business  at  night ;  while  Laziness  travels 
so  slow  that  Poverty  soon  overtakes  him."  "Drive 
thy  business ;  let  not  that  drive  thee." 

And  the  old  man  tells  them  further,  that  nothing 
is  mended  by  the  wishing ;  it  must  needs  come  by 
work.  There  is  no  use  in  wishing  the  times  were 
better;  we  make  them  better,  if  we  bestir  our 
selves.  "Industry  needs  not  wish," — as  Poor 


BECOMING    A   PUBLIC    MAN.  135 

Richard  says.  "He  that  lives  upon  hope  will  die 
fasting."  "There  are  no  gains  without  pains." 
"He  that  hath  a  trade,  hath  an  estate  :  and  he 
that  hath  a  calling,  hath  an  office  of  profit  and 
honor."  "At  the  workingman's  house  hunger 
looks  in,  but  dare  not  enter."  "Industry  pays 
debts,  but  despair  increaseth  them."  "Diligence 
is  the  mother  of  good  luck;"  and  "God  gives  all 
things  to  industry;  then  plow  deep  while  slug 
gards  sleep,  and  you  will  have  corn  to  sell  and 
keep."  "  One  to-day  is  worth  two  to-morrows." 
"  Handle  your  tools  without  mittens."  "  The  cat 
in  gloves  catches  no  mice."  "  Continual  dropping 
wears  away  stones,  and  by  diligence  and  patience 
the  mouse  ate  into  the  cable,  and  light  strokes  fell 
great  oaks." 

When  the  old  man  is  asked  if  we  are  to  afford 
ourselves  no  leisure,  he  answers  in  proverbs  again 
— "Employ  thy  time  well  if  thou  meanest  to  gain 
leisure;  and  since  thou  art  not  sun  of  a  minute, 
throw  not  away  an  hour."  "A  life  of  leisure  and 
a  life  of  laziness  are  two  things."  "Troubles 
spring  from  idleness,  and  grievous  toils  from  need 
less  ease ;  many  without  labor  would  live  by  their 
own  wits  only  ;  but  they  break  for  want  of  stock." 
"  Fly  pleasures,  and  they  will  follow  you ;  the  dil- 


136  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

igent  spinner  has  a  large  shift."  But  one  must 
needs  be  settled  and  steady,  or  all  his  industry 
goes  for  little  or  nothing ;  there,  as  Poor  Richard 
says, — "Three  removes  are  as  bad  as  a  fire." 
"Keep  thy  shop,  and  thy  shop  will  keep  thee.M 
"If  you  would  have  your  business  done,  go;  if 
not,  send."  "The  eye  of  the  master  will  do  more 
work  than  both  his  hands."  "  Want  of  care  does 
us  more  damage  than  want  of  knowledge."  "Not 
to  oversee  workmen  is  to  leave  them  your  purse 
open."  "If  you  would  have  a  faithful  servant, 
and  one  that  you  like,  serve  yourself."  "A  little 
neglect  may  breed  a  great  mischief."  "For  want 
of  a  nail,  the  shoe  was  lost ;  for  want  of  a  shoe, 
the  horse  was  lost ;  and  for  want  of  a  horse,  the 
rider  was  lost ;  being  overtaken  and  slain  by  the 
enemy — all  for  want  of  care  about  a  horse-shoe 
nail." 

Then  he  talks  to  his  listeners  upon  Frugality, 
showing  them  that  they  must  practice  frugality  if 
they  would  make  their  industry  successful.  And 
he  proceeds  to  quote  Poor  Richard  as  saying — "A 
fat  kitchen  makes  a  lean  will."  "If  you  would 
be  wealthy,  think  of  saving  as  well  as  getting." 
"  What  maintains  one  vice  would  bring  up  two 
chfldren."  "Beware  of  little  expense;  a  small 


BECOMING   A    PUBLIC    MAN.  137 

leak  will  sink  a  great  ship."  "Who  dainties  love 
shall  beggars  prove."  " Fools  make  feasts,  and 
wise  men  eat  them." 

Speaking  to  the  people  about  coming  to  an  auc 
tion  sale  to  purchase  goods  because  they  expected 
to  find  them  cheap,  the  old  man  warns  them  that, 
if  they  do  not  look  out,  they  will  find  their  goods 
to  be  evils;  and  he  reminds  them  again  of  what 
Poor  Richard  says, — "Buy  what  thou  hast  no  need 
of,  and  ere  long  thou  shalt  sell  thy  necessaries." 
And  again, — "  It  is  foolish  to  lay  out  money  in  a 
purchase  of  repentance."  "  Silks  and  satins,  scar 
lets  and  velvets  put  out  the  kitchen  fire."  "For 
one  poor  person,  there  are  a  hundred  indigent." 
"  A  ploughman  on  his  legs  is  higher  than  a  gen 
tleman  on  his  knees."  On  the  subject  of  small 
spendings  for  needless  things,  the  old  man  quotes 
Poor  Richard  as  saying — "A  child  and  a  fool  im 
agine  twenty  shillings  and  twenty  years  can  never 
be  spent;  but  always  be  taking  out  of  the  meal- 
tub,  and  never  putting  in,  soon  comes  to  the  bot 
tom."  "When  the  well  is  dry,  they  know  the 
worth  of  water."  "If  you  would  know  the  value 
of  money,  go  and  try  to  borrow  some  ;  for  he  that 
goes  a-borrowing  goes  a-sorrowing."  "Pride  is 
as  loud  a  beggar  as  Want,  and  a  great  deal  more 

12* 


138  BEFJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

saucy."  "It  is  easier  to  suppress  the  first  desire 
than  to  satisfy  all  that  follow  it."  "Pride  that 
dines  on  vanity,  sups  on  contempt."  And  again, 
— "  Pride  breakfasted  with  Plenty,  dined  with 
Poverty,  and  supped  with  Infamy." 

On  the  subject  of  running  in  debt,  the  old  man 
scatters  the  pearls  of  his  proverbs  among  the 
crowd  in  this  wise : — "  The  second  vice  is  lying ; 
the  first  is  running  in  debt."  "Lying  rides  on 
debt's  back."  "It  is  hard  for  an  empty  sack  to 
stand  upright."  "  Creditors  have  better  memories 
than  debtors;"  and,  once  more,  "Creditors  are  a 
superstitious  sect,  great  observers  of  set  days  and 
times."  "  Those  have  a  short  Lent,  who  owe 
money  to  be  paid  at  Easter."  "For  age  and  want 
save  while  you  may, — ISTo  morning  sun  lasts  a 
whole  day."  And  telling  the  cr6wd  about  him 
that  gain  may  be  temporary  and  uncertain,  but 
expense  is  ever  constant  and  certain,  he  quotes 
Poor  Richard  as  saying — "  It  is  easier  to  build  two 
chimneys  than  to  keep  one  in  fuel."  "Rather  go 
to  bed  supperless  than  rise  in  debt." 

And  after  exhorting  them  not  to  trust,  either 
to  industry,  frugality,  and  prudence  altogether, 
which  can  help  no  one  without  the  attendant 
blessing  of  Heaven, — he  concludes  his  pithy  and 


BECOMING    A    PUBLIC    MAN.  139 

impressive  address  with  a  handful  of  summary 
injunctions,  whic/i  may  he  called  the  marrow  of 
the  matter,  thus: — "And  now,  to  conclude,  'Ex 
perience  keeps  a  dear  school ;  hut  fools  will  learn 
in  no  other,  and  scarce  in  that;  for  it  is  true,  we 
may  give  advice,  hut  we  cannot  give  conduct,'  as 
Poor  Richard  says.  However,  rememher  this, 
'  They  that  will  not  he  counselled  cannot  he 
helped,'  as  Poor  Richard  says;  and,  farther,  that 
'  If  you  will  not  hear  Reason,  she  will  surely  rap 
your  knuckles.' ' 

And  thus  the  old  gentleman  ended  his  har 
angue.  But  he  says  that  the  people  assembled 
at  the  auction  went  on  and  hought  just  as  if  he 
had  not  spoken  to  them  at  all,  paying  no  heed  to 
his  proverbs  and  precepts. 

"We  have  given  this  sample  of  "Poor  Richard," 
"because  it  was  such  a  famous  affair  in  its  day,  and 
its  name  lives  after  it.  Probahly  no  hook,  large 
or  small,  printed  in  America  through  the  whole 
of  the  last  century,  had  such  influence  over  the 
popular  mind.  Its  shrewd  wisdom  Commended  it 
to  all  thoughtfully-inclined  persons,  while  its  dry 
humor  and  story-telling  counsels  attracted  and 
impressed  those  who  would  have  been  reached 
by  no  other  style  of  address. 


140  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

Franklin  employed  his  newspaper,  too,  in  im 
parting  the  same  sort  of  moral  instruction.  Some 
times  he  printed  choice  extracts  from  Addisoii's 
Spectator,  arid  at  other  times  he  enlivened  its 
columns  with  short  pieces  which  he  had  first 
composed  and  read  to  the  Junto ;  among  the  rest, 
imaginary  dialogues,  discourses,  and  essays.  At 
this  time,  he  was  not  yet  thirty  years  of  age. 

He  never  used  his  columns  for  spreading  scan 
dal  ;  it  was  his  opinion  that  personal  altercations 
and  ahuse  were  become  too  common,  and  reflected 
only  disgrace  on  the  community ;  and  he  made  a 
worthy  effort  to  put  an  end  to  the  practice  and  to 
hold  up  a  better  example.  Oftentimes  he  was 
urged  by  one  and  another  to  print  in  the  paper 
some  attack  which  they  wished  to  make  on  other 
persons ;  and  when  he  denied  them  their  request, 
they  would  bring  up  the  illustration  of  the  stage 
coach,  saying  that  a  newspaper  was  just  like  that, 
in  which  any  one  who  paid  had  a  right  to  a  place; 
but  he  stopped  further  importunities  by  telling 
them  that  if  they  wished,  he  would  print  their 
pieces  separately,  and  they  might  take  as  many 
copies  as  they  wanted. 

He  sent  off  one  of  his  journeymen  to  Charles 
ton,   in   1733,   where    he    heard    a  printer  was 


BECOMING    A    PUBLIC    MAN.  141 

wanted,  supplying  him  with  a  press.  The  agree 
ment  was,  that  Franklin  was  to  pay  one-third  the 
expense  of  the  business,  and  have  one-third  of  the 
profits.  The  man  did  not  make  returns  of  his 
business  with  any  regularity,  and  after  a  time 
died,  leaving  matters  entirely  unsettled  and  loose 
between  them ;  but  his  wife,  who  was  born  and 
bred  in  Holland,  and  who  had  learned  how  to 
keep  accounts,  took  charge  of  the  affairs  of  her 
late  husband,  and  sent  him  a  plain  statement  of 
past  transactions  as  well  as  regular  business 
reports  every  three  months  afterward.  So 
successfully  did  she  manage  the  business,  she 
brought  up  a  family  of  children  with  credit,  and 
finally  bought  out  Franklin's  share  in  the  concern 
and  set  up  her  son  at  the  head  of  it. 

About  this  time,  he  had  an  adventure  with  a 
Presbyterian  minister  who  had  lately  come  to 
Philadelphia  to  preach.  He  was  a  young  man, 
with  a  fine  voice,  who  drew  to  himself  a  crowd 
of  admiring  hearers  from  the  different  denomina 
tions  by  his  extemporaneous  addresses.  His  dis 
courses  pleased  Franklin  too,  from  the  fact  that 
they  were  not  of  a  dogmatical  cast,  but  held  up 
continually  the  need  of  "good  works."  Some  of 
the  Fiore  "orthodox"  Presbyterians,  with  the 


142  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

older  ministers,  not  liking  his  doctrine,  brought 
him  before  the  Synod  on  a  charge  of  preaching 
heretical   doctrines,   and    desired    to    have    him 
silenced.     Franklin  took  up  for  him  with  much 
zeal,  writing  and  talking  for  him,  and  laboring  to 
build  up  a  party  which  would  sustain  him.     But 
finding,  as  he  relates,  that,  "  though  an  elegant 
preacher,  he  was  but  a  poor  writer,"  he  wrote  for 
him  two  or  three  pamphlets  together  with  a  piece 
in  the  newspaper.     But  while  the  contest  raged, 
it  turned  out  that  one  of  his  adversaries  remem 
bered  to  have  somewhere  read  a  part  of  one  of 
the  most  admired  sermons  which  he  had  preached ; 
and,  on  looking  the  matter  up,  it  turned  out  that 
he  had  been  preaching  a  discourse,  or  the  greater 
part  of  one,  from  a  British  clergyman,  which  had 
been  before  published    in   one  of  the   Reviews. 
The  friends  of  the  young  minister  were   sickened 
with  this  discovery,  and  at  once  abandoned  him 
and  his  cause  in  disgust.     But  this  was  not  the 
case  with  Franklin;  with  his  usual  shrewdness, 
he  stuck  by  him,  giving  as  a  reason  that  he  was 
much  more  in  favor  of  his  giving  them  good  dis 
courses,  though  composed  by  another,  than  poor 
ones  composed  by  himself!     But  the  case  went 
against  him,   nevertheless.      Before   he   left  the 


BECOMING   A    PUBLIC    MAN.  143 

town,  the  young  minister  frankly  confessed  to 
Franklin  that  he  had  not  only  stolen  that  sermon, 
but  all  his  sermons,  in  the  same  way:  his  memory 
being  such  that  he  was  able  to  retain  and  repeat 
any  sermon  after  a  single  reading  only.  Franklin 
left  the  congregation  soon  after  the  minister  went, 
and  never  worshipped  with  it  again,  though  he 
paid  over  his  subscription  for  the  support  of  its 
ministers  for  many  years. 

To  qualify  himself  for  such  positions  in  life  as 
he  might  be  placed  in,  in  the  future,  he  began  to 
study  the  languages  about  this  time,  and  led  off 
with  the  French;  and  he  very  soon  became  so 
much  a  master  of  that  tongue  as  to  be  able  to 
read  the  books  in  it  with  ease  and  readiness.  He 
next  went  upon  Italian.  A  friend  happened  to 
be  studying  it  at  the  same  time,  who  used  to  often 
beg  Franklin  to  play  chess  with  him :  but  finding 
the  game  was  taking  up  too  much  of  his  time,  he 
told  his  friend  he  would  play  no  more  except  on 
this  condition, — that  the  one  who  won  the  game 
should  have  the  right  to  impose  on  the  other  a 
stated  task,  either  in  the  grammar,  which  was  to 
be  learned  by  heart,  or  in  translating, — the  same 
to  be  performed  by  the  time  of  the  next  meeting. 
They  were  so  evenly  matched  at  the  game  that, 


144  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN, 

as  Franklin  said,  they  fairly  "beat  one  another  into 
that  language."  "With  a  little  pains  and  industry, 
he  in  time  acquired  sufficient  knowledge  of  Span 
ish  to  read  books  written  in  that  tongue  like 
wise. 

After  having  thus,  gone  into  modern  languages, 
he  was  greatly  surprised,  on  looking  into  a  Latin 
Testament,  to  find  that  he  already  understood 
more  of  that  language  than  he  had  imagined. 
He  had  had  a  year's  instruction  in  a  Latin  School, 
in  his  youth,  but  never  pursued  his  early  acquaint 
ance  with  the  tongue ;  he  was  now  encouraged, 
however,  to  go  at  the  study  once  more,  and  found 
his  way  made  smooth  by  his  previous  success  with 
the  more  modern  languages.  From  which  fact  ho 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  we  generally  pursue 
just  the  wrong  course  in  the  study  of  the  lan 
guages,  by  beginning  with  the  Latin.  His  judg 
ment  was,  that  it  was  better  to  begin  with  the 
French,  and  proceed  to  the  Italian  and  the  Latin. 
For  if  the  young  student  should  never  proceed 
farther  than  French,  that  language  he  would 
afterwards  find  of  use  to  him ;  but  if,  beginning 
with  Latin,  he  stopped  with  that,  his  attainment 
would  be  of  no  practical  value. 

By  this  time  he  had  been  absent  from  Boston, 


BECOMING   A   PUBLIC    MAN.  145 

his  native   place,  ten   long  years;  changes  had 
taken  place  in  that  period,  and,  among  the  rest, 
he  found  himself  in  easy  circumstances.     He  de 
termiued  to  go  and  make  a  visit  to  his  relatives 
at  the  East.     He  said  he  never  could  afford  the 
expense  of  such  a  journey  hefore  now.     He  says 
nothing  of  his  visit  to  Boston,  however,  but  men 
tions   an   incident  which   occurred   at  Newport, 
Rhode  Island,  where  he  stopped  on  his  return  to 
see  his  brother  James,  from  whom  he  had  run 
away  years  before.      Their  meeting  was  cordial 
and    affectionate,    all    their    former    differences 
having   been   forgotten.      The  brother  was   still 
engaged  in  the  printing  business  there,  but  his 
health  was  giving  way,  and  he  was  looking  for 
the  approach  of  his  end.     "Weighed  down  with 
this  apprehension,  he  requested  his  brother  Ben 
jamin  to  take  home  his  son  with  him,  then  a  lad 
of  but  ten  years,  and  bring  him  up  to  the  printing 
business.     This  he  promised  to  do,  and  did  do : 
although  he  sent  the  boy  to  school  for  a  few  years 
before  putting  him  to  work  in  the  office.     While 
the  lad  was  thus  engaged  learning  his  trade,  his 
mother  was  carrying  on  the  business  at  Newport 
to  the  best  of  her  skill ;  and  when  he  had  finally 
qualified  himself  to  be  a  printer,  his  Uncle  Benja- 

13 


146  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

min  furnished  him  with  an  assortment  of  new 
types,  and  enabled  him  to  take  the  business  at 
Newport  off  his  mother's  hands  and  carry  it  on 
himself.  Franklin  felt  that  in  this  way  he  made 
amends  for  the  loss  and  trouble  to  which  he  sub 
jected  his  older  brother,  when  he  ran  away  from 
him  to  Philadelphia. 

In  the  year  1736,  he  lost  a  little  son,  but  four 
years  old,  by  the  small-pox.  He  had  never  been 
inoculated,  which  made  it  very  difficult  for  the 
father  to  forgive  himself  for  his  neglect. 

The  same  year,  he  was  chosen  Clerk  of  the  Gen 
eral  Assembly.  There  was  no  opposition  to  him 
that  year ;  though  when  his  name  was  proposed 
for  the  same  office,  the  next  year,  a  new  member 
of  the  Assembly  got  up  and  made  a  long  and  loud 
speech  against  him,  having  a  candidate  of  his  own 
to  bring  forward.  Franklin  was  chosen,  however. 
His  pay  as  Clerk  was  of  some  assistance  to  him  at 
that  time  ;  but  the  interest  for  his  business  which 
an  acquaintance  with  the  members  enabled  him  to 
make,  was  better  than  all.  They  voted  that  he 
should  do  about  the  whole  of  the  House  printing. 
— the  votes,  the  laws,  the  paper  money,  and  thft 
other  public  jobs,  great  and  small,  which  proved 
very  profitable.  The  member  who  had  risen  and 


BECOMING   A   PUBLIC    MAN.  147 

opposed  him  for  the  clerkship  Franklin  was  desir 
ous  of  appeasing,  for  he  was  a  gentleman  of  for 
tune,  well  educated,  and  possessed  of  talents  that 
were  likely  to  give  him  influence  over  the  House 
in  the  future.  Instead,  however,  of  fawning  upon 
him,  he  tried  a  trick  of  innocent  flattery ;  hearing 
that  he  had  a  certain  rare  and  curious  book  in  his 
library,  he  wrote  him  a  note,  saying  that  he  heard 
the  gentleman  had  such  a  book,  and  requesting 
the  favor  of  its  loan  for  a  few  days.  The  book 
was  lent  him,  of  course ;  Franklin  returned  it  in 
about  a  week,  with  many  thanks,  which  he  ex 
pressed  with  care  in  another  note.  The  gentle 
man  came  over  and  spoke  to  him  the  next  time 
the  house  met, — a  thing  he  had  never  done  be 
fore, — accosting  him  with  great  civility.  The  result 
of  it  was,  he  ever  afterwards  showed  a  willing 
ness  to  serve  Franklin  in  such  way  as  he  could, 
and  they  struck  up  a  friendship  that  lasted  until 
death. 

The  postmaster-general  of  the  provinces,  Gov 
ernor  Spotswood,  late  Governor  of  Virginia,  was 
not  altogether  satisfied  with  his  Philadelphia 
deputy,  and  in  1737  he  removed  him  and  appointed 
Franklin  to  his  place.  The  former  incumbent  had 
been  guilty  of  negligence  in  sending  in  his  office 


148  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

accounts,  and  of  want  of  exactness  in  drawing 
them  up.  Franklin  accepted  the  office  without 
hesitation,  and  found  it  of  great  help  to  him  every 
way.  The  salary  it  returned  him  was  by  no  means 
large,  but  it  afforded  him  a  good  many  favorable 
opportunities  to  supply  his  newspaper  with  cor 
respondence  and  advertisements  both,  while  it  also 
enabled  him  to  increase  his  circulation.  The  op 
position  paper  began  to  decline  as  the  Gazette 
advanced ;  but  Franklin  remembered  his  resolve, 
taken  when  he  was  in  "the  day  of  small  things" 
himself,  not  to  treat  a  rival  as  scurvily  as  the  for 
mer  post-master  had  treated  him.  He  therefore 
permitted  the  post-riders  to  carry  the  other  papers 
just  as  freely  as  they  did  his  own. 

His  mind  now  turned  more  actively  to  public 
matters  than  ever.  He  began  with  paying  atten 
tion  to  small  affairs ;  but  by  doing  his  duty  to 
those  well  and  thoroughly,  he  qualified  himself 
for  that  wider  field  to  which  he  was  destined  not 
long  afterward  to  be  called.  First;  he  looked  into 
the  city  watch  business.  The  constables  of  the 
different  wards  took  turns  in  managing  it.  Each 
summoned  a  certain  number  of  housekeepers  to 
go  around  the  town  with  him  during  the  night. 
"We  have  to  smile,  recalling  these  primitive  cus- 


BECOMING  A   PUBLIC   MAN.  149 

toms  and  contrasting  them  with  the  day  and  night 
police  system  of  the  present  time. 

Franklin  found,  on  investigation,  that  such  as 
chose  to  pay  the  constable  six  shillings  a  year  to 
be  excused,  which  sum  was  popularly  thought  to 
go  for  hiring  substitutes,  could  be  let  off  entirely. 
But  that  sum  he  found  to  be  a  great  deal  more 
than  sufficient  to  hire  all  the  substitutes  that  were 
wanted,  the  amount  left  over  furnishing  the  con 
stable  taking  it  a  handsome  little  profit;  the  only 
money  which  the  latter  spent  being  for  a  little 
drink,  with  which  he  used  to  hire  such  men  to 
patrol  the  streets  along  with  him  as  the  respecta 
ble  portion  of  the  citizens  did  not  choose  to  mix 
with.  Besides,  they  did  not  walk  their  rounds, 
either ;  they  would  collect  at  some  place,  and  pass 
the  night  in  tippling. 

The  matter  was  first  brought  up  by  Franklin  in 
the  Junto.  He  wrote  a  paper  on  it,  setting  forth 
the  wretched  way  in  which  watch  was  kept  for  the 
town,  but  showing  up  more  especially  the  injus 
tice  of  exacting  the  sum  of  six  shillings  per  head 
from  every  person  who  expected  to  derive  benefit 
from  the  assessment;  for  a  poor  widow,  whose 
whole  property  might  not  amount  to  more  than 
fifty  pounds,  was  taxed  just  as  much  toward  sup- 


150  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

porting  the  watch  as  the  merchant  who  had  thou 
sands  of  pounds'  worth  of  goods  in  his  stores. 
He  proposed,  instead  of  this,  the  hiring  of  proper 
men  to  serve  at  the  business  constantly ;  and  his 
plan  was,  to  pay  them  their  wages  by  taxing  prop 
erty,  rather  than  persons.  The  idea  took  well  with 
the  Junto,  and  was  communicated  to  all  the  other 
clubs  which  had  sprung  from  it  and  were  still  con 
nected  with  it.  And  although,  as  a  distinct  plan, 
it  was  not  immediately  carried  into  execution,  it 
nevertheless  set  matters  in  such  a  train  that  after 
a  time  the  people  of  Philadelphia  settled  upon  it 
as  a  fixed  policy ;  and  great  good  came  from  it  to 
all  interests. 

Franklin  likewise  paid  attention,  at  this  time, 
to  the  causes  of  fires,  and  the  best  modes  of  pre 
venting  as  well  as  extinguishing  them.  He  wrote 
a  paper  on  the  subject,  and  published  it  in  the  Ga 
zette.  It  took  well  with  the  people  at  large,  and 
led  to  the  formation  of  a  company  of  citizens  for 
the  rapid  extinguishment  of  fires, — or  what  we 
should  now  style  a  "fire  company."  Thirty  in 
all  joined  it  at  first,  whose  business  was  to  be  not 
only  the  speedy  putting  out  of  fires  but  the  saving 
of  goods  also,  when  in  danger.  Each  member 
was  required  to  keep  at  hand  a  certain  number  of 


BECOMING   A   PUBLIC   MAN.  151 

leather  buckets,  in  good  order  and  fit  for  use,  to 
gether  with  strong  bags  and  baskets  for  removing 
goods ;  and  all  were  to  be  brought  to  every  fire 
that  broke  out.  About  once  a  month  they  passed 
a  social  evening  together,  engaged  chiefly  in  talk 
ing  on  fires  and  the  readiest  way  to  overcome  their 
destructiveness. 

So  well  were  the  citizens  pleased  with  the  new 
idea,  they  banded  together  to  form  other  compa 
nies  ;  and  at  length  the  greater  part  of  the  men 
of  property  in  town  were  included  in  one  or  an 
other  of  these  most  useful  organizations.  At  least 
fifty  years  after  Franklin  formed  the  first  associa 
tion,  then  known  as  the  "  Union  Fire  Associa 
tion,"  it  was  still  in  existence  ;  and  at  that  time 
all  but  one,  besides  Franklin,  were  dead.  The 
fines  which  were  levied  found  them  in  ladders,  fire 
hooks,  and  engines ;  and  for  the  long  period  of 
half  a  century,  so  excellent  was  the  system,  the 
city  never  lost  by  fire  more  than  two  houses  at  a 
time. 


152  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

GEORGE   WHITFIELD  —  SOLDIERING — A   PHILOSOPHER. 

THE  famous  preacher,  George  "Whitfield, 
came  to  Philadelphia  in  1739,  from  Ireland. 
His  fame  as  a  revival  preacher  had  gone  be 
fore  him.  In  the  course  of  his  life,  he  crossed  the 
Atlantic  a  great  many  times,  for  a  map  of  that 
generation,  and  seemed  drawn  to  the  people  of 
America  by  very  strong  ties.  When  he  first  made 
his  appearance  in  Philadelphia,  the  clergy  permit 
ted  him  to  hold  forth  in  their  churches ;  but  after 
a  time  they  fell  out  with  him  for  some  reason,  and 
he  was  obliged  to  assemble  his  auditory  in  the 
open  fields. 

People  of  every  denomination  and  belief  flocked 
to  hear  him.  He  called  assemblies  about  him,  to 
listen  to  his  masterly  harangues,  such  as  the  men 
of  that  day  had  never  beheld.  They  gathered  at  the 
sound  of  his  voice  in  battalions,  by  the  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands.  Franklin  used  to  wonder 


GEORGE   WHITFIELD.  153 

how  they  had  patience  to  listen  to  him,  when  he 
was  continually  flinging  the  most  savage  denuncia 
tions  in  their  faces,  and  telling  them  that  by  nature 
they  were  "half  beasts  and  half  devils."  But 
there  was  an  almost  weird  magnetism  about  this 
remarkable  man,  holding  others  spell-bound  by 
the  very  tones  of  his  voice.  His  declamatory 
power  was  indescribable.  The  effect  immediately 
produced  upon  the  popular  mind  it  is  not  easy  to 
reproduce  in  narrative.  Everybody  seemed  to 
have  suddenly  become  deeply  concerned  for  his 
soul.  The  town  dropped  its  habit  of  indifference 
and  levity,  and  put  on  an  air  of  the  most  serious 
thoughtfulness.  Franklin  describes  it — "it  seemed 
as  if  all  the  world  were  growing  religious,  so  that 
one  could  not  walk  through  the  town  in  an  even 
ing  without  hearing  psalms  sung  in  different  fami 
lies  of  every  street." 

After  a  time,  it  was  found  inconvenient  to  con 
tinue  these  monster  meetings  in  the  open  air,  on 
account  of  the  inclement  weather  as  well  as  for 
other  reasons ;  and  it  was  proposed  to  build  a 
house  of  some  sort,  that  should  accommodate  all 
who  wished  to  hear  the  new  apostle.  Money  was 
very  speedily  contributed,  in  sums  sufficient  to 
purchase  ground  and  erect  a  building  one  hun- 


154  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

dred  feet  long  and  seventy  broad ;  and  the  citizens 
fell  to  the  work  with  such  zeal  that  it  was  com 
pleted  long  before  they  had  any  of  them  believed 
it  possible.  The  whole  property  was  placed  in 
the  hands  of  trustees,  the  condition  being  that  it 
should  be  used  for  the  accommodation  "  of  any 
preacher  of  any  religious  persuasion,"  who  might 
ever  wish  to  speak  to  the  people  of  Philadelphia. 
The  design  was,  to  accommodate  the  people 
rather  than  the  sects;  so  that,  as  Franklin  ex 
pressed  it,  "  even  if  the  Mufti  of  Constantinople 
were  to  send  a  missionary  to  preach  Mahometan- 
ism  to  us,  he  would  find  a  pulpit  at  his  service." 

"Whitfield  went  south,  as  far  as  Georgia,  after 
leaving  Philadelphia,  preaching  as  he  went.  He 
collected  crowds  around  him  wherever  he  stopped 
to  exhort,  and  left  impressions  that  outlasted  even 
the  generation  which  listened  to  his  tumultuous 
words.  After  going  among  the  people  of  the 
then  new  colony  of  Georgia  and  becoming 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  their  situation,  he 
was  deeply  impressed  with  the  fact  that  they 
were  in  an  almost  helpless  condition,  and  re 
solved  to  come  back  and  solicit  charity  on  their 
behalf.  The  preacher's  plan  was  to  build  an 
orphan  asylum  for  the  numbers  of  poor  children 


GEORGE    WHITFIELD.  IOC 

that  were  left  destitute  by  the  misfortunes  of  their 
parents ;  and  large  and  generous  collections  were 
immediately  sent  in  on  behalf  of  this  project. 

It  appears  that  the  early  colonists  of  Georgia 
were  made  up  of  broken-down  London  shop 
keepers  and  insolvent  debtors :  men  who  could 
do  nothing  more  for  themselves  or  their  families 
at  home,  and  of  whom  still  less  might  be  expected 
abroad,  especially  in  a  wilderness.  Many  of  these 
settlers  had  been  taken  from  the  common  jails  in 
the  old  country,  and  were  of  fixed  and  unchange 
able  habits  of  idleness.  Such  a  class  of  persons, 
on  being  set  down  in  the  woods  with  their 
families,  could  hardly  be  expected  to  hew  their 
way  through  the  surrounding  roughness  to  com 
fort  and  plenty.  In  consequence  of  this  inability 
to  help  themselves,  therefore,  they  perished  by 
scores,  leaving  a  crowd  of  miserable  children 
behind  to  be  assisted  by  charity  or  to  die. 

Whitfield's  plan,  on  his  return  to  Pennsylvania, 
was  to  provide  a  grand  asylum  for  these  children 
of  want,  and  he  had,  as  already  mentioned,  col 
lected  large  sums  for  that  purpose  in  Philadel 
phia.  Franklin  lent  his  sympathy  to  the  project, 
but  he  thought  it  better  that  the  building  in 
question  should  be  erected  in  Philadelphia  thao 


156  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

off  in  Georgia,  and  that  the  children  should  be 
brought  North.  There  was  another  considera 
tion :  if  it  were  to  be  built  in  Georgia,  a  large 
number  of  mechanics  would  have  to  go  out  there 
from  Philadelphia,  and  Franklin  was  averse  to 
letting  so  valuable  an  element  of  their  own  colony 
go  away.  He  therefore  refused  to  contribute  a 
cent  to  the  project,  Whitfield  meantime  just  as 
stoutly  refusing  to  listen  to  his  suggestion  to  build 
the  asylum  at  Philadelphia. 

While  thus  resolute  against  giving  the  great 
preacher  anything  to  help  him  on,  Franklin 
pleasantly  narrates  a  characteristic  incident  that 
concerns  each  of  the  parties  to  it  about  equally : — 
"I  happened  soon  after  to  attend  one  of  his 
(Whitfi  eld's)  sermons,  in  the  course  of  which  I 
perceived  he  intended  to  finish  with  a  collection ; 
and  I  silently  resolved  he  should  get  nothing 
from  me.  I  had,  in  my  pocket,  a  handful  of 
copper  money,  three  or  four  silver  dollars,  and 
five  pistoles  in  gold.  As  he  proceeded,  /  began  to 
soften,  and  concluded  to  give  the  copper.  An 
other  stroke  of  his  oratory  made  me  ashamed  of 
that,  and  determined  me  to  give  the  silver ;  and 
he  finished  so  admirably,  that  /  emptied  my  pocket 
wholly  into  the  collector  s  dish,  gold  and  all.  At  this 


GEORGE   WHITFIELD.  157 

sermon  there  was  also  one  of  our  club,  who,  being 
of  my  sentiments  respecting  the  building  in 
Georgia,  and  suspecting  a  collection  might  be 
intended,  had,  by  precaution,  emptied  his  pockets 
before  he  came  from  home.  Towards  the  conclu 
sion  of  the  discourse,  however,  he  felt  a  strong 
inclination  to  give,  and  applied  to  a  neighbor, 
who  stood  near  him,  to  lend  him  some  money  for 
the  purpose.  The  request  was  fortunately  made 
to  perhaps  the  only  man  in  the  company  who  had 
the  firmness  not  to  be  affected  by  the  preacher. 
His  answer  was,  lAt  any  other  time,  friend  Hop- 
kinson,  I  would  lend  to  thee  freely;  but  not  now ; 
for  thee  seems  to  be  out  of  thy  right  senses.' ' 

Franklin  says  there  was  a  suspicion  with  some 
that  Mr.  Whitfield  would  apply  the  contributions 
he  obtained  to  his  own  uses;  but,  for  himself,  he 
never  harbored  such  a  thought.  He  was  more  or 
less  intimate  with  the  great  preacher,  and  printed 
his  sermons  and  journals  for  him;  and  he  believed 
him  to  be  a  thoroughly  honest  man,  incapable  of 
taking  any  such  mean  advantage  of  his  position. 
Their  friendship  was  sincere,  and  lasted  as  long 
as  both  lived.  Whitfield  used  to  put  up  prayers 
for  Franklin's  conversion,  but  the  latter  says  ''he 

never  had  the  satisfaction  of  believing  that  his 
U 


158  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

prayers  were  heard."  To  illustrate  the  character 
of  their  friendship,  Franklin  relates  the  following 
anecdote  : — "  Upon  one  of  his  arrivals  from  Eng 
land  at  Boston,  he  wrote  to  me  that  he  should 
come  soon  to  Philadelphia,  but  knew  not  where 
he  could  lodge  when  there,  as  he  understood  his 
old  friend  and  host,  Mr.  Benezet,  was  removed  to 
Germantown.  My  answer  was,  'You  know  my 
house;  if  you  can  make  shift  with  its  scanty 
accommodations,  you  will  be  most  heartily  wel 
come.'  He  replied,  that  if  I  made  that  kind  offer 
for  Christ's  sake,  I  should  not  miss  of  a  reward. 
And  I  returned,  '  Don't  let  me  be  mistaken  ;  it 
was  not  for  Christ's  sake,  but  for  your  sake.' ' 

According  to  Franklin's  account,  the  great 
preacher  had  a  loud  and  clear  voice,  and  articu 
lated  every  word  so  perfectly  that  he  could  be 
heard  and  understood  a  great  ways.  One  evening, 
while  he  was  preaching  from  the  Court  House 
steps  in  the  middle  of  Market  street,  Franklin  had 
the  curiosity  to  test  the  power  of  his  voice,  which 
he  did  in  the  following  ingenious  manner.  Both 
Market  and  Second  streets  were  filled  to  a  consid 
erable  distance.  Franklin  was  on  the  further  edge 
of  the  crowd  in  Market  street,  and  kept  retreating 
gradually  toward  the  river.  He  could  bear  WTiit- 


GEORGE  WHITFIELD.  159 

field's  voice  with  distinctness  until  he  came  near 
Front  street,  where  the  noise  of  that  street  obscured 
it.  With  this  basis  of  calculation,  he  imagined  a 
semicircular  space,  of  which  a  direct  line  from 
himself  to  the  preacher  should  be  the  radius, 
filled  with  people ;  and,  by  allowing  two  square 
feet  to  each  person,  he  calculated  that  he  could  be 
heard  by  more  than  thirty  thousand  people.  This 
estimate  inclined  him  to  believe  the  stories  which 
had  been  told  of  Whitfield's  having  preached  to 
twenty-five  thousand  people  in  the  fields. 

Franklin  found  he  could  soon  detect  one  of  his 
new  discourses  from  an  old  one ;  the  latter  was 
much  better  delivered,  owing  to  the  practice  ob 
tained  in  repeating  it  so  many  times.  He  says 
that  "  every  accent,  every  emphasis,  every  modu 
lation  of  voice  was  so  perfectly  well  turned  and 
well  placed,  that,  without  being  interested  in  the 
subject,  one  could  not  help  being  pleased  with  the 
discourse,  —  a  pleasure  of  much  the  same  kind 
with  that  received  from  an  excellent  piece  of 
music." 

The  printing  business  of  Franklin  was  rapidly 
increasing,  and  he  was  becoming  a  man  of  means 
and  a  substantial  citizen.  He  now  saw  the  actual 
fruits  of  frugality,  industry,  and  perseverance. 


160  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

His  plans  had  thus  far  resulted  just  as  he  would 
have  had  them.  He  writes  of  himself  that  he 
now  experienced  the  truth  of  an  old  remark,  "that? 
after  getting  the  first  hundred  pounds,  it  is  more 
easy  to  get  the  second," — money  having  a  wonder 
ful  faculty  of  multiplying  itself.  He  engaged  at 
this  time  in  several  partnerships,  having  found  the 
one  in  South  Carolina  so  profitable.  Such  of  his 
workmen  as  had  behaved  well  he  sent  off  into 
other  colonies,  and  helped  them  to  establish  print 
ing-houses  ;  the  larger  part  of  them  turned  out 
prosperously,  being  able,  at  the  end  of  the  term 
of  their  engagement  (six  years),  to  purchase  the 
types  of  Franklin  for  themselves.  In  no  single 
partnership  of  this  sort  did  he  find  himself  with  a 
quarrel  on  his  hands;  they  were  all  carried  on, 
and  all  ended,  amicably.  The  great  reason  for 
this  good  fortune  he  ascribed  to  the  fact  that,  in 
making  engagements  of  this  sort,  every  part  of 
the  contract  was  clearly  laid  down  and  so  well 
understood  in  the  first  place,  that  there  was  no 
possibilities  of  any  future  falling  out.  And  this 
point  Franklin  especially  enjoins  upon  all  persons 
who  are  thinking  of  forming  partnerships ;  "  for," 
says  he,  "  whatever  esteem  partners  may  have  for, 
or  confidence  in,  each  other  at  the  time  of  the 


SOLDIERING.  161 

contract,  little  jealousies  and  disgusts  may  arise, 
with  ideas  of  inequality  in  the  care  and  burden, 
business,  etc.,  which  are  attended  often  with  breach 
of  friendship  and  of  the  connection ;  perhaps  with 
lawsuits  and  other  disagreeable  consequences." 

There  were  two  prime  wants  in  the  Pennsylva 
nia  colony,  at  this  time,  which  Franklin  turned 
his  attention  to,  in  the  hope  of  having  them 
speedily  supplied  ;  there  was  no  militia  system, 
and  no  college.  The  one  was  of  the  first  import 
ance  as  a  matter  of  defence  for  the  colony  in  these 
troubled  times,  and  the  other  was  needed  for  the 
proper  education  of  youth.  In  the  year  1743, 
he  drew  up  a  plan  for  founding  an  academy,  and 
made  an  effort  to  obtain  a  teacher ;  but  the  scheme 
was  laid  aside  for  that  year,  and,  in  the  following- 
year,  he  brought  forward  with  success  his  plans 
for  establishing  a  "  Philosophical  Society." 

Spain  was  at  war  with  Great  Britain  at  this  time, 
and  France  had  just  joined  her;  this  state  of  affairs 
led  the  first  citizens  of  Pennsylvania  colony  to 
look  around  and  see  how  they  could  ward  off  dan 
ger  from  their  boundaries.  The  Governor  of  the 
colony,  Thomas,  had  urged  the  Assembly  (which 
was  composed  of  Quakers)  in  vain  to  pass  a  mili 
tia  law  and  make  provision  for  defence ;  and 


162  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

Franklin  resolved  to  try  voluntary  contributions. 
For  this  purpose  he  printed  a  pamplet,  to  which 
he  gave  the  name  PLAIN  TRUTH  ;  and  in  the  course 
of  it  he  set  forth  their  helpless  condition  and 
urged  the  need  of  immediate  steps  for  defence, 
adding  that  in  a  few  days  he  should  propose  an 
association  to  the  people  at  large. 

The  pamphlet  produced  just  the  right  effect. 
The  citizens  without  hesitation  called  upon  the 
author  for  his  plan  of  association.  He  drew  it  up 
hastily  in  connection  with  a  few  friends,  and  called 
a  general  town  meeting  in  the  big  building  which 
had  been  erected  for  liberal  preaching.  He  had 
previously  prepared  a  number  of  copies  of  his  new 
plan,  and  placed  pens  and  ink  about  the  room 
where  access  could  readily  be  had  to  them.  Then 
after  addressing  the  people  on  the  subject,  he 
caused  copies  of  his  draft  to  be  circulated,  and 
called  on  the  people  to  subscribe  their  names  with 
out  reserve.  On  counting  up  these  names,  after 
the  meeting  adjourned,  it  was  found  that  twelve 
hundred  men  had  subscribed  to  the  new  agree 
ment;  and  after  sending  it  abroad  over  the  coun 
try,  the  plan  received  the  signatures  of  more  than 
ten  thousand  colonists ! 

This  was  a  good  beginning.    The  "  Plain  Truth" 


SOLDIERING.  163 

pamphlet  had  thus  far  done  a  noble  work.  This 
large  body  of  men  provided  themselves  as  soon  as 
they  could  with  arms,  formed  themselves  into  com 
panies,  chose  officers,  and  met  every  week  for  drill. 
The  women,  not  to  be  outdone  in  patriotism,  made 
silk  colors  for  the  several  companies,  painting  and 
working  upon  them  such  devices  and  mottoes  as 
Franklin  supplied  them  with. 

The  officers  of  the  regiment  which  w^as  formed 
in  Philadelphia,  met  and  chose  Franklin  their 
Colonel.  He  felt  that  he  was  not  qualified  for  the 
post,  and  desired  them  to  appoint  a  Mr.  Lawrence 
— a  gentleman  of  influence — in  his  place,  which 
they  finally  did.  The  first  thing  to  be  done,  after 
this,  wras  the  erection  of  a  battery  below  the  town 
and  mounting  it  with  cannon.  The  problem  was, 
how  to  supply  the  cannon.  Franklin,  whose  wits 
seemed  always  about  him,  proposed  a  lottery  for 
the  purpose  of  defraying  the  expense  of  building 
the  battery ;  and  the  tickets  were  soon  taken  up, 
and  the  work  on  the  battery  speedily  begun.  The 
defenses  were  merely  of  logs,  filled  in  with  earth. 

The  citizens  bought  some  cannon  in  Boston : 
and  sent  to  London  for  some ;  when  they  sent  over 
to  the  latter  place,  they  put  in  their  claims  before 
the  Proprietaries  of  the  province,  hoping  to  in- 


164  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

duce  them  to  offer  their  assistance  to  the  young 
settlement  also.  Col.  Lawrence,  Franklin,  and 
two  other  gentlemen  meanwhile  went  to  New 
York,  commissioned  to  ask  of  Gov.  Clinton,  in 
the  name  of  the  association,  a  few  pieces  of  can 
non, — as  many  as  they  could  get  from  him.  At 
first,  the  Governor  plumply  refused ;  but  he  was 
again  plied  with  their  requests,  while  at  dinner 
with  his  Council,  where  much  good  old  Madeira 
was  drunk,  and  he  relented  so  far  as  to  consent 
to  loan  six.  The  wine  still  going  round,  he  agreed 
to  let  ten  go  ;  and,  at  last,  becoming  still  more 
mellow,  he  consented  to  part  with  eighteen.  They 
were  good  pieces,  eighteen-pounders,  and  mounted 
on  carriages.  They  were  taken  forthwith  across 
to  Philadelphia,  mounted  on  the  battery,  and  all 
ready  for  the  approach  of  an  enemy.  A  watch 
was  kept  up  by  the  signers  to  the  military  associa 
tion,  every  night  during  the  continuance  of  the 
war ;  and  Franklin  took  his  turn  with  the  rest,  in 
pacing  his  weary  walk  beneath  the  stars.  It  was 
his  first  experience  as  a  common  soldier. 

Seeing  of  what  worth  he  was  in  the  community, 
the  Governor  and  Council  immediately  took  him 
into  their  confidence,  and  freely  consulted  him  in 
every  instance  where  they  believed  they  could  fur- 


SOLDIERING.  165 

ther  the  plans  of  the  military  organization.  "With 
his  many  other  suggestions,  he  proposed  that  a 
Fast  Day  should  be  observed,  as  was  the  custom, 
at  stated  times  in  New  England.  He  would  have 
them  ask  the  blessing  of  Heaven  on  their  under 
taking.  The  Governor  not  being  familiar  with 
the  forms,  and  the  Secretary  being  just  as  ignorant 
of  them,  recourse  was  had  to  Franklin,  who  drew 
the  proclamation  after  the  New  England  style  ; 
it  was  next  translated  into  German  and  scattered 
through  the  province. 

Some  of  his  friends  feared  that  Franklin's  ac 
tivity  in  these  war  matters  would  make  him  un 
popular  with  the  Quakers,  who  were  practically 
peace  men,  and  who  had  a  large  majority  in  the 
Assembly.  One  young  man,  who  had  friends  in 
that  body,  and  wished  to  be  elected  to  the  Clerk 
ship  himself,  came  and  told  him  that  it  was  deter 
mined  to  defeat  him  at  the  next  session;  and 
rather  than  see  him  disgraced  in  that  way,  he 
coolly  advised  him  to  resign.  Franklin  informed 
him,  in  reply,  that  he  had  once  heard,  or  read,  of 
a  public  man  who  made  it  a  rule  never  to  ask  for 
an.  office,  and  never  to  refuse  it  when  offered  him. 
"I  approve,"  said  he,  "of  this  rule,  and  shall 
practice  it  with  a  small  addition ;  I  shall  never 


166  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

ask,  never  refuse,  and  never  resign  an  office/'  This 
was  plump  and  plain ;  and  his  mousing  competitor 
must  have  gone  away  satisfied.  Franklin,  how 
ever,  was  chosen  Clerk  at  the  next  session  ;  they 
could  find  no  other  reason  for  defeating  him  than 
his  connection  with  the  war  association,  and  they 
did  not  care  to  put  their  action  on  that  ground. 
His  testimony  goes  to  show,  in  fact,  that  Quakers 
would  fight  on  the  defensive,  at  any  rate. 

He  relates  one  anecdote  which  illustrates  their 
peculiar  feeling  at  that  time.  At  a  meeting  of 
their  Fire  Company, — the  same  which  he  had 
originated  or  set  on  foot, — it  was  proposed  to  take 
the  sixty  pounds  which  "belonged  to  the  company 
and  invest  it  in  lottery  tickets  for  the  erection  of 
the  battery  below  the  town.  The  matter  had  to 
be  laid  over  for  discussion  till  the  next  meeting. 
In  the  fire  company  were  thirty  members,  twenty- 
two  of  whom  were  Quakers.  The  eight  outside 
ones  were  very  punctual  at  the  meeting,  although 
they  had  no  idea  of  carrying  Quakers  enough  with 
them  to  make  up  a  majority  for  the  project.  Only 
one  Quaker,  however,  appeared  to  oppose  the 
scheme  ;  he  was  sorry  the  thing  had  been  brought 
up,  for  the  Friends  were  all  against  it,  and  the  fire 
company  was  in  danger  of  being  broken  up  by  it 


SOLDIERING.  167 

He  was  answered,  however,  that  nothing  was 
easier  than  for  the  Quakers  to  vote  down  the  rest, 
us  they  clearly  outnumbered  them,  and  the  will 
of  the  majority  would  of  course  be  submitted  to. 
At  last  the  hour  came  for  bringing  the  matter  to  a 
vote.  Mr.  Morris  admitted  that  the  rules  allowed 
them  to  do  it,  but  there  were  a  number  not  then 
present,  who  intended  to  come  in  and  vote  against 
it,  and  it  would  be  only  fair  to  give  them  time  to 
assemble.  Just  at  this  moment,  a  servant  came 
in  and  communicated  to  Franklin  that  a  couple 
of  gentlemen  below  would  like  to  speak  with  him. 
He  went  down  and  found  two  members  of  the 
company,  Quakers.  They  told  him  there  were 
eight  of  them  in  a  tavern  close  at  hand,  and  that 
they  were  all  of  them  ready  to  come  in  and  vote 
for  the  proposal  if  it  should  be  necessary,  although 
they  would  prefer  not  to  be  called  upon  if  it  could 
be  managed  without  them,  since  it  would  make 
trouble  for  them  with  their  friends. 

Franklin  went  back  up  stairs  feeling  easier ;  for 
now  he  knew  that  he  could  carry  a  majority  with 
him  in  any  case.  He  could  afford  to  be  magnani 
mous,  therefore,  and  agreed  to  wait  another  hour, 
knowing  well  enough  that  a  majority  of  his  op 
ponents  would  never  come  in.  Mr.  Morris  ad 


168  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

mittcd  that  this  second  delay  was  extremely  fair. 
But  after  much  waiting  it  was  found  that  not  one 
of  his  side  came  in,  and  of  course  there  was  no 
need  of  sending  for  the  men  at  the  tavern.  So  at 
the  expiration  of  the  hour  the  motion  was  put  and 
carried,  by  a  vote  of  eight  to  one !  This  showed 
how  peaceful  even  Quakers  were,  when  a  war 
pinch  came. 

The  Quaker,  too,  who  placed  the  sixty  pounds  in 
Franklin's  hands  to  purchase  the  lottery  tickets 
with, — Mr.  Logan, — wTrote  a  pamphlet  in  favor  of 
defensive  war.  In  the  course  of  his  many  conver 
sations  with  Franklin,  he  told  him  the  following 
anecdote  of  his  old  master,  William  Penn,  hear 
ing  directly  on  that  point:  He  came  over  from 
England  with  him  when  a  young  man,  as  his  Sec 
retary.  As  it  was  in  a  time  of  war,  the  ship  they 
came  in  was  chased  by  an  armed  vessel  which  was 
supposed  to  be  an  enemy.  The  captain  made 
ready  for  defending  his  craft,  but  told  Penn  and 
his  company  of  Quakers  that,  as  he  did  not  expect 
any  help  from  them  during  the  conflict,  they  were 
at  liberty  to  retire  into  the  cabin.  All  of  them 
complied  with  the  suggestion,  except  young  Lo 
gan  ;  he  preferred  to  stay  on  deck  and  assist  at 
the  defence ;  and  the  officer  appointed  him  to  a 


SOLDIERING.  169 

place  at  one  of  the  guns.  But  it  turned  out  that 
the  enemy  was  no  enemy,  and  there  was  therefore 
no  fighting  to  do.  When,  however,  the  young 
Secretary  went  below  to  communicate  the  news  to 
William  Penn,  the  latter  administered  to  him  a 
stern  rebuke  for  doing  as  he  had  done, — remain 
ing  upon  deck  and  offering  to  take  a  part  in  the 
defence ;  and  reminded  him  that  it  was  contrary 
to  the  principles  of  the  Friends.  Logan  did  not 
exactly  like  to  be  rebuked  in  this  style  by  his 
master,  before  all  the  company.  So  he  answered 
to  him — "  I  being  thy  servant,  why  did  thee  not 
order  me  to  come  down  ?  But  thee  was  willing 
enough  that  I  should  stay  and  help  to  fight  the 
ship,  when  thee  thought  there  was  danger  !" 

Franklin  was  many  times  amused,  while  in  the 
Assembly,  to  observe  the  little  subterfuges  and 
excuses  they  resorted  to,  in  order  to  help  on  the 
Crown  in  matters  of  war,  when  called  on  for  aid  j 
they  were  patriotic  at  heart,  but  peaceful  on  prin 
ciple  ;  they  hated  to  refuse  the  government,  and 
still  would  not  offend  one  another  by  transgress 
ing  their  own  religious  rules :  whenever  the  As 
sembly,  therefore, — which  was  by  a  large  majority 
Quaker, — voted  money  for  the  defence  of  the  pro 
vince,  it  always  took  pains  to  word  the  grant  as 

15 


170  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

"for  the  King's  use,"  but  making  no  mention 
how  it  was  to  be  applied.  "When  powder  was 
wanted  for  the  garrison  at  Louisburg,  and  New 
England  begged  it  of  Pennsylvania,  they  refused 
to  grant  money  to  buy  powder,  because  that  was 
an  article  of  war;  but  they  roguishly  voted  to 
place  three  thousand  pounds  in  the  hands  of  the 
Governor,  and  appropriate  it  for  the  purchase  of 
bread,  flour,  wheat,  or  other  grain.  Some  of  tho 
Council,  with  the  hope  of  embarrassing  the  Gov 
ernor,  advised  him  not  to  accept  provision,  as  that 
was  not  what  he  had  asked  from  the  Assembly; 
but  he  said  he  should  do  it  nevertheless,  "  for  I 
understand  very  well  their  meaning ;  other  grain 
is  gunpowder."  And  the  "other  grain"  was 
bought  by  him  for  New  England,  and  no  objection 
made  to  it,  either. 

Had  the  proposal  before  the  fire  company — to 
invest  the  company's  money  in  lottery  tickets — 
failed  to  pass,  Franklin  said  he  should  have 
moved  to  purchase  a  fire  engine  with  it ;  and,  if 
that  plan  had  passed,  he  should  have  bought  a 
"great  gun,"  which  is  a  fire  engine,  beyond  a 
doubt. 

Having  invented,  only  three  or  four  years 
before,  an  open  stove  for  the  better  warming  of 


A    PHILOSOPHER.  171 

rooms  and  the  saving  of  fuel,  he  prose nted  his 
model  to  his  friend,  Robert  Grace,  who  owned  a 
furnace  and  found  the  casting  of  the  stove  plates 
very  profitable,  the  stoves  being  in  active  demand. 
In  order  to  extend  the  sale  of  his  new  stove  still 
more,  he  wrote  and  published  a  pamphlet,  styled 
— "An  Account  of  the  new-invented  Pennsyl- 
vanian  Fire-places,"  &c.,  &c.  The  pamphlet  had 
an  excellent  effect  in  the  direction  intended.  The 
Governor  was  so  well  pleased  with  the  construc 
tion  of  the  stove,  from  merely  reading  its  descrip 
tion  in  the  pamphlet,  that  he  offered  to  give 
Franklin  a  patent,  with  the  sole  right  to  sell  all 
the  stoves  manufactured  under  it,  for  three  years 
to  come ;  but  the  latter  declined  the  gift,  in 
obedience  to  a  rule  which  he  says  ever  weighed 
with  him  on  such  occasions, — "that,  as  we  enjoy 
great  advantages  from  the  inventions  of  others, 
we  should  be  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  serve 
others  by  any  invention  of  ours ;  and  this  we 
should  do  freely  and  generously." 

The  "Franklin  Stove"  was  known  to  the 
people  of  the  present  generation,  and  remained 
an  ornament  in  many  a  parlor  and  living-room 
until  coal  so  generally  superseded  the  use  of 
wood. 


172  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 

We  may  now  consider  Franklin  well  started  on 
his  career  as  a  Philosopher.  In  the  succeeding 
chapter,  we  shall  show  how  he  applied  his  invent 
ive  talent  and  acute  observation  to  the  devising 
of  various  schemes  by  which  his  fellow-citizens 
would  be  made  more  comfortable  and  happy. 


GETTING    FAME.  173 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

GETTING    FAME. 

AS  soon  as  the  war  was  over,  Franklin  gave 
over  all  further  thought  about  the  Asso 
ciation,  of  course ;  and  the  next  plan  to 
which  he  turned  his  attention  was  the  establish 
ment  of  an  Academy.  To  bring  the  matter 
before  the  public,  he  first  associated  himself  with 
a  number  of  friends  from  the  Junto,  and  next 
published  a  pamphlet,  styled  "  Proposals  relating 
to  the  Education  of  Youth  in  Pennsylvania.'* 
By  distributing  this  freely  among  the  people, 
without  cost,  he  prepared  their  minds  for  the 
proposal  which  he  was  all  ready  to  make  to  them ; 
which  was,  to  start  a  subscription  for  opening  and 
supporting  an  academy,  the  sums  subscribed  by 
each  person  to  be  paid  in  yearly  instalments  for 
five  years.  He  believed  that  he  could  raise  more 
money  by  dividing  the  burden  in  this  way.  Nor, 

15* 


174  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

indeed,  was  his  calculation  out  of  the  way,  for  he 
secured  about  five  thousand  pounds. 

He  did  not  bring  himself  forward  as  the  author 
of  the  scheme,  and  therefore  secured  for  it  more 
immediate  favor.  The  subscribers  chose  twenty- 
four  trustees  to  carry  the  plan  out,  and  appointed 
the  Attorney- General,  Mr.  Francis,  and  himself, 
to  draft  a  proper  Constitution.  All  signed  the 
articles,  teachers  were  hired,  and  the  school 
opened  without  further  delay. 

This  was  in  the  year  1749.  The  pupils  came 
in  so  fast  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  find 
larger  quarters  for  them;  and  the  committee  were 
looking  for  a  place  to  erect  a  building  upon,  when 
the  large  structure  erected  for  the  Whitfield  meet 
ings  was  suggested  to  them,  and  arrangements 
soon  completed  for  its  occupancy.  Franklin 
chanced  to  be  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
for  the  Church  and  the  Academy  both;  and  he 
was  the  more  convenient  agent  for  carrying  out 
the  transaction.  The  Church  trustees  were  ready 
to  dispose  of  the  property,  because  the  enthusiasm 
which  was  first  excited  over  the  project  had  been 
by  this  time  far  spent,  and  for  the  additional 
reason  that  they  (the  trustees)  could  not  raise 
money  enough  to  pay  the  ground  rent  with  regu- 


GETTING    FAME.  175 

larity;  and  Franklin  brought  about  a  cession  of 
the  property  to  the  trustees  of  the  new  Academy, 
on  condition  that  the  latter  should  discharge  this 
debt,  and  likewise  keep  open  in  the  building  a 
hall  for  occasional  preachers,  as  was  the  original 
intention,  and,  furthermore,  support  a  free  school 
for  the  instruction  of  poor  children. 

The  property  changed  hands  with  this  under 
standing,  and  the  great  building  at  once  under 
went  many  changes.  The  high  hall  was  con 
verted  into  stories,  and  rooms  were  constructed, 
above  and  below,  for  the  convenience  of  the 
scholars.  The  entire  labor  came  on  Franklin's 
shoulders, — buying  materials,  agreeing  with  the 
workmen,  and  overseeing  the  operations.  But 
he  got  through  it  successfully,  and  the  scholars 
were  all  moved  in. 

He  was  arrived  at  a  condition  of  decided  pros 
perity  by  this  time,  and  could  well  give  his  time 
to  public  business  of  this  sort.  Only  the  year 
before  he  had  taken  a  capable  and  trusty  partner, 
David  Hall  by  name,  who  had  already  been  in  his 
employ  for  four  years ;  and  he  found,  by  this  new 
arrangement,  that  all  the  business  was  taken  off 
his  hands,  Mr.  Hall  assuming  full  charge  of  the 
printing-office  and  paying  him  over  his  share  of 


176  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

« 

the  profits  of  the  establishment.  They  went  on 
together  in  this  manner  for  eighteen  years,  and 
success  attended  them  through,  the  whole  of  that 
long  term.  With  the  leisure  which  was  now  at 
his  disposal,  he  gave  much  attention  to  the  inter 
ests  of  the  Academy.  A  charter  of  incorporation 
was  obtained  from  the  Governor,  and  land  was 
ceded  by  the  Proprietaries  of  the  province,  and 
money  contributed  by  friends  in  England ;  the 
Assembly  also  gave  its  aid,  and  in  due  time  this 
beginning  resulted  in  what  is  known  as  the  Uni 
versity  of  Pennsylvania.  Franklin  continued  one 
of  its  trustees  for  forty  years ;  and  he  lived  to  see 
many  of  its  pupils  filling  important  stations  and 
adorning  the  State  to  which  they  owed  their  birth 
and  education. 

He  had  just  begun  to  feel  easy  in  the  assurance 
that  he  had  now  fortune  enough  to  secure  to  him 
all  the  leisure  he  wanted  for  the  prosecution  of 
his  philosophical  studies,  to  which  he  intended  to 
devote  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  had  pur 
chased  the  apparatus  of  Dr.  Spence,  who  was 
come  over  from  England  to  lecture  in  Philadel 
phia,  and  entered  upon  his  electrical  experiments 
with  great  enthusiasm.  So  far,  very  well:  bat 
the  public,  seeing  that  he  had  this  leisure  on  his 


GETTING   FAME.  177 

hands,  coveted  it  of  him ;  they  meant  to  lay  hold 
of  his  time  and  talents  both,  and  make  them 
serviceable  for  the  general  good. 

He  was  called  into  almost  every  branch  of 
public  life.  By  the  Governor  he  was  made  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace ;  the  city  corporation  made 
him  at  first  a  member  of  the  Common  Council, 
and  afterwards  an  Alderman ;  and  the  citizens  at 
large  elected  him  to  represent  them  in  the 
Assembly.  He  was  grateful  for  the  last  post: 
for  he  confessed  that  he  had  become  tired,  long 
ago,  of  hearing  the  debates  in  his  clerk's  seat, 
without  the  privilege  of  taking  part  in  them,  and 
he  felt  that  his  power  and  influence  would  very 
much  expand  by  the  new  gift.  His  ambition,  too, 
was  not  a  little  flattered  by  the  election,  for  he 
considered  that,  starting  from  what  he  styled  his 
"  low  beginnings,"  it  was  a  great  thing  for  him. 
But,  better  than  all,  he  was  glad  to  know  he  was 
held  in  such  esteem  by  his  countrymen. 

After  sitting  as  Justice  for  a  few  times,  he 
found  that  his  limited  knowledge  of  law  hardly 
allowed  him  to  act  in  that  capacity,  and  he  accord 
ingly  withdrew  from  it,  offering  by  way  of  excuse 
that  he  was  called  upon  to  attend  to  his  duties  aa 


178  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

a  legislator.  He  took  his  seat  in  the  House,  and 
his  son  was  appointed  Clerk. 

In  the  following  year,  he  was  appointed  by  the 
House,  together  with  the  Speaker,  a  Commis 
sioner  to  make  a  treaty  with  the  Indians  at  Car 
lisle.  Arriving  at  that  place  among  them,  the 
Commission  ordered  that  the  red  men  should 
have  not  a  drop  of  liquor  sold  them,  as  they  were 
very  apt  to  get  drunk  and  to  become  disorderly. 
The  Indians  made  sore  complaint  about  it ;  and, 
to  quiet  them,  they  were  told  that,  if  they  would 
keep  sober  while  the  treaty  was  under  discussion, 
they  should  have  plenty  of  rum  afterwards.  This 
agreement  was  faithfully  carried  out.  But  when 
they  got  their  rum  at  last,  the  business  having  all 
been  finished,  they  made  a  famous  powwow  over  it. 
There  were  nearly  a  hundred  of  them  in  all, — 
men,  women,  and  children, — and  they  lodged  in 
cabins,  erected  in  the  form  of  a  square,  just  out 
side  the  town. 

The  Commissioners  heard  a  wild  noise  among 
them  in  the  evening,  and  walked  over  to  see  what 
was  the  cause  of  it.  They  found  their  red  breth 
ren  had  kindled  a  large  bonfire  in  the  middle  of 
the  square,  around  which  they  were  dancing,  and 


GETTING    FAME.  179 

yelling,  and  quarrelling.  Men  and  women  were 
mixed  together,  and  all  were  drunk.  Franklin 
said  that  "  their  dark-colored  bodies,  half-naked, 
seen  only  by  the  gloomy  light  of  the  bonfire,  run 
ning  after  and  beating  one  another  with  fire 
brands,  accompanied  by  their  horrid  yellings, 
formed  a  scene  the  most  resembling  our  ideas  of 
hell  that  could  well  be  imagined."  The  Com 
missioners  found  they  could  do  nothing  with 
them,  and  therefore  went  back  to  their  lodgings. 
About  midnight,  they  were  startled  by  thunder- 
ings  at  their  door,  which  turned  out  to  be  the 
Indians,  come  for  more  rum ;  but  no  notice  was 
taken  of  them. 

They  were  conscious  that  they  had  done  wrong, 
however,  and  the  next  day  sent  over  three  of  their 
oldest  counsellors  with  an  apology.  The  one  who 
spoke  for  the  others  acknowledged  their  fault,  but 
he  laid  it  to  the  rum ;  and  then,  wishing  to  say  a 
good  word  for  the  rum,  gave  the  following  ex 
planation  : — "  The  Great  Spirit,  who  made  all 
things,  made  everything  for  some  use ;  and  what 
ever  use  he  designed  anything  for,  that  use  it 
should  always  be  put  to.  "Now,  when  he  made 
rum,  he  said,  'Let  this  be  for  the  Indians  to  ge: 
drunk  with  !' — and  it  must  be  so." 


180  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

Franklin  was  appealed  to,  in  the  year  1751,  to 
aid  in  establishing  a  hospital  in  Philadelphia,  for 
the  reception  and  cure  of  poor  sick  persons, 
whether  they  happened  to  belong  to  the  province 
or  were  strangers.  A  subscription  had  already 
been  set  on  foot  for  it,  but  thus  far  little  had  been 
accomplished ;  the  plan  was  a  novelty  in  the 
country,  and  few  had  sufficient  confidence  in  it 
to  give  it  a  start.  At  length  Franklin  was  ap 
proached  on  the  subject.  He  was  told  that  no 
public  measure  could  be  carried  through  unless 
he  was  at  the  bottom  of  it.  Everybody  who  had 
been  addressed  upon  this  hospital  scheme,  wished 
to  know  first  what  Franklin  thought  about  it. 
People  would  commit  themselves  to  nothing 
until  they  heard  from  him. 

So  he  took  hold,  and,  after  his  usual  method, 
began  by  writing  brief  articles  on  the  subject  for 
the  newspapers.  The  subscriptions  increased  at 
once  ;  yet  not  fast  enough  to  warrant  the  success 
of  the  plan  without  help  from  the  Assembly. 
He  therefore  drew  a  petition  to  that  body.  The 
country  members  had  no  relish  for  the  project; 
their  objection  was,  that  it  would  only  be  of  ser 
vice  to  the  city,  and  that  the  citizens  should  defray 
the  expense.  They  even  doubted  if  the  inhabit- 


GETTING    FAME.  181 

ants  of  Philadelphia  were  in  favor  of  the  plan 
themselves ;  but  Franklin  assured  them  they  were 
greatly  mistaken,  for  he  had  no  doubt  about  rais 
ing  at  least  two  thousand  pounds  by  voluntary  con 
tributions.  They  were  faithless,  but  he  went  for 
ward  with  his  plan.  The  bill  of  incorporation 
was  drawn  with  the  condition,  that  when  the  con 
tributors  to  the  stock  should  organize  and  raise 
two  thousand  pounds,  and  satisfy  the  Speaker  of 
the  Assembly  that  that  sum  had  been  raised, — 
then  the  Speaker  was  authorized  and  required  to 
draw  on  the  provincial  treasurer  for  two  thousand 
pounds  more,  in  two  yearly  payments,  "for  the 
founding,  building  and  finishing  of  the  hospital." 
The  money  raised  by  the  contributors  was  to  be 
put  at  interest,  and  the  income  applied  to  the  ac 
commodation  of  the  sick  poor  in  the  hospital.  On 
this  condition  the  bill  was  passed.  E~o  difficulty 
was  found  in  raising  the  whole  sum  desired,  for 
every  contributor  felt  that  for  each  pound  that  he 
gave  the  province  was  to  give  another. 

A  handsome  building  was  speedily  erected  for 
the  hospital,  and  the  project  went  into  practical 
and  successful  operation  immediately  afterward. 
Franklin  said  that  none  of  his  subsequent  "  politi 
cal  manoeuvres"  gave  him  more  pleasure;  and 

16 


182  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

none  furnished  him  more  readily  with  excuses  for 
using  a  little  cunning. 

Next  came  to  him  a  clergyman  with  a  request 
that  he  would  help  him  in  getting  up  a  subscrip 
tion  for  huilding  a  new  meeting-house.  He  at 
once  refused  ;  he  was  not  willing  to  make  himself 
disagreeable  to  his  fellow-citizens  by  dunning 
them  for  alms.  The  clergyman  then  wished  him 
to  furnish  him  with  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  most 
generous  and  willing  givers !  But  Franklin 
thought  —  and  thought  correctly — that  a  man's 
generosity  should  not  make  him  an  object  to  be 
worried  by  beggars,  and  he  refused.  Finally, 
seeing  he  could  get  no  more,  the  man  asked  him 
for  his  advice.  "  That  I  will  give  you,"  answered 
Franklin.  "In  the  first  place,  I  advise  you  to  ap 
ply  to  all  those  who  you  know  will  give  some 
thing  ;  next,  to  those  who  you  are  uncertain 
whether  they  will  give  anything  or  not,  and  show 
them  the  list  of  those  who  have  given ;  and  lastly, 
do  not  neglect  those  who  you  are  sure  will  give 
nothing,  for  in  some  of  them  you  may  be  mis 
taken."  The  man  laughed,  thanked  him,  and 
promised  to  do  as  he  bade  him.  He  very  soon 
raised  a  large  sum  from  his  beggings,  and  a  hand 
some  church  was  erected  by  the  means. 


GETTING  FAME.  183 

The  next  public  matter  which  urged  itself  upon 
his  attention  was  the  condition  of  the  streets.  His 
mind  was  active  respecting  everything  that  con 
cerned  the  great  body  of  his  fellow-citizens.  The 
streets  of  Philadelphia  were  laid  at  right-angles, 
giving  the  whole  city  a  beautiful  regularity.  But 
they  had  never  been  paved,  and  in  wet  weather 
were  difficult  to  traverse  with  carriages,  owing  to 
the  thickness  of  the  mud.  Living  himself  near 
Jersey  market,  he  had  noticed  with  much  uneasi 
ness  that  the  people  frequenting  the  place,  to  pur 
chase  provisions,  were  obliged  to  stand  in  the 
mud;  but  while  standing  or  walking  inside  the 
market,  where  was  a  long  strip  of  brick  pavement, 
they  were  at  once  dry  and  comfortable. 

Seeing  what  accumulations  were  brought  to  the 
pavement  from  the  street,  he  was  led  to  hire  a 
poor  man  to  sweep  it  twice  each  week,  sweeping 
the  dirt  from  before  the  neighbors'  doors  likewise, 
paying  him  sixpence  a  month  for  each  house. 
Once  more  he  had  resort  to  writing  and  printing, 
and  placed  in  each  house  a  paper,  setting  forth  the 
advantages  of  this  outside  cleanliness ;  and  in  a 
few  days  he  went  around  to  see  how  many  persons 
would  subscribe  to  an  agreement  to  pay  these  six 
pences  for  sweeping.  The  greater  part  of  those 


184  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

called  on  agreed  to  the  plan,  and  the  pavement 
around  their  houses  was  kept  so  clean  as  to  attract 
the  attention  of  the  people  of  the  city  at  large.  Out 
of  this  little  manoeuvre  sprang  a  scheme  to  pave 
the  whole  city,  for  which  the  inhabitants  were 
very  willing  to  be  taxed. 

Franklin  drew  up  a  bill  for  that  purpose,  just 
before  he  went  to  England,  in  1757,  and  introduced 
it  into  the  Assembly.  It  was  not  passed,  however, 
until  after  he  had  left,  and  then  with  alterations ; 
but  one  of  them  was  a  proposal  to  light  the  streets, 
as  well  as  to  pave  them.  The  lighting  was  done 
by  an  individual,  who  placed  a  lamp  above  his  own 
door  that  the  people  might  see  for  themselves  the 
advantage  of  the  plan.  They  were  at  that  time 
supplied  with  globe  lamps  from  London ;  but 
Franklin  subsequently  improved  the  form  of  them. 
His  improvement  consisted  in  making  the  lamps 
with  four  flat  panes,  with  a  long  funnel  to  draw 
up  the  smoke,  and  holes  at  the  bottom  to  admit 
the  air  for  draught.  They  were  thus  kept  clean, 
and  continued  bright  till  morning,  not  clouding 
up  with  smoke  in  a  few  hours  like  the  London 
lamps;  and  if  they  were  broken,  only  a  single 
pane  had  to  fee  replaced,  instead  of  an  entirely 
new  lamp. 


GETTING   FAME.  18f) 

ID  this,  and  in  other  ways.  Franklin  made  him 
self  continually  useful  to  his  fellow-citizens.  He 
would  see  them  surrounded  with  as  many  comforts 
as  providence  could  secure ;  and  to  that  end  his 
observation  was  always  awake,  and  his  faculties 
on  the  alert  to  second  such  suggestions  as  occurred 
to  him.  He  looked  after  the  streets,  the  pave 
ments,  the  lamps,  the  public  institutions ;  the  in 
habitants  felt  that  they  had  a  willing  servant  in  so 
excellent  a  citizen.  He  conducted  his  experiments 
in  philosophy  at  the  same  time,  and  continually 
made  advancement  in  his  scientific  studies.  What 
he  had  to  communicate  to  the  public  through  his 
newspaper  was  given  in  brief  and  pithy  appeals, 
each  of  them  stuffed  out  with  an  anecdote,  or 
shrewdly  wise  saying,  which  moved  the  popular 
mind  much  sooner  than  if  written  in  the  form  of 
a  speech  or  a  sermon.  No  man  knew  better  than 
Franklin  how  to  turn  his  talents  and  his  time  to 
practical  account. 

He  had  been  employed  by  the  Postmaster-Gene 
ra,  of  America,  for  some  time  previous  to  1753,  as 
his  comptroller  to  regulate  the  business  of  a  good 
many  offices,  and  to  keep  the  accounts  of  the  offi 
cers  always  under  his  eye ;  and  as  that  officer  died  in 
the  year  just  named,  Franklin,  along  with  William 

16* 


186  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

Hunter,  was  appointed  by  a  commission  from  the 
Postmaster-General  of  England  to  succeed  him. 
Up  to  that  time,  the  American  office  had  never 
paid  a  pound  of  revenue  into  the  general  office  of 
the  parent  country ;  and,  to  pay  the  new  appointees 
their  salary,  they  were  to  be  allowed  six  hundred 
pounds  a  year  between  them,  provided  the  office 
would  yield  that  amount  of  profits. 

To  bring  about  a  remunerative  state  of  things, 
they  were  obliged  to  resort  to  many  expedients. 
They  were  forced  to  make  improvements  of  every 
sort,  and  the  first  cost  of  the  same  was  so  great 
that  they  were  out  of  pocket  by  it,  at  the  end  of 
the  first  four  years,  to  the  amount  of  more  than 
nine  hundred  pounds.  After  that,  however,  the 
money  began  to  come  in ;  and  during  the  time 
Franklin  administered  its  affairs,  it  was  made  to 
pay  three  times  as  much  revenue  to  the  Crown  as 
the  post-office  of  Ireland. 

His  business  in  connection  with  the  post-office 
sent  him  forth  on  various  journeys.  That  very 
year  he  travelled  to  ~New  England,  and  was  honored 
with  the  title  of  Master  of  Arts  by  Harvard  Uni 
versity.  But  Yale  College,  in  New  Haven,  had 
been  before  Harvard  with  a  similar  merited  com 
pliment.  In  this  way,  he  says,  "  without  studying 


GETTING   FAME.  187 

in  any  college,  I  came  to  partake  of  their  honors." 
They  were  conferred  on  him  for  his  discoveries  in 
electricity,  and  his  additions  to  that  branch  of 
natural  philosophy. 

His  philosophical  reputation  took  its  rise  from 
an  accidental  meeting  in  Boston,  in  the  year 
1746,  with  a  Dr.  Spence  from  Scotland,  who  had 
brought  over  with  him  certain  instruments  with 
the  design  of  lecturing  and  experimenting  on 
electricity.  This  man  was  not  very  expert  at  his 
business,  yet  what  Franklin  saw  was  sufficient  to 
surprise  and  delight  him.  Not  long  after  he  re 
turned  to  Philadelphia,  their  library  association 
received  a  glass  tube  as  a  present  from  Mr.  Peter 
Collinson,  of  London,  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society, 
with  an  account  of  the  manner  of  using  it  for  ex 
periments  of  that  character.  Franklin  eagerly 
improved  the  opportunity  offered  to  repeat  what 
had  so  pleased  him,  in  Boston ;  and  after  much 
practice,  he  was  able  to  perform  not  only  what  he 
had  seen  there,  but  likewise  those  experiments  of 
which  accounts  had  been  written  him  from  Eng 
land,  and  to  originate  several  new  ones  himself. 
These  electric  phenomena  were  the  wonder  of  the 
day;  his  house  was  continually  thronged  with 


188  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

persons,  come  to  see  the  astonishing  things  that 
were  performed. 

Finding  this  a  little  more  of  a  burden  than  he 
cared  to  shoulder  alone,  he  adroitly  managed  to 
divide  it  up  among  others,  and  by  this  means  to 
make  more  rapid  progress  with  his  experiments. 
He  had  a  number  of  glass  tubes  blown  at  the  glass 
house  in  Philadelphia,  similar  to  the  one  sent 
them  from  London,  and  furnished  them  to  his 
friends.  The  person  who  proved  most  serviceable 
to  him  was  a  neighbor  named  Hinnersley,  who 
happened  to  be  out  of  business,  and  whom  Frank 
lin  encouraged  to  make  exhibition  of  the  experi 
ments  for  money.  He  was  an  ingenious  person 
withal,  and  just  such  an  one  as  would  be  likely  to 
spread  the  fame  of  these  wonderful  novelties  in 
scientific  discovery.  Franklin  wrote  for  him  a 
couple  of  lectures,  sketching  the  experiments  with 
their  explanations  in  order.  He  had  an  elegant 
apparatus  constructed  for  himself,  in  which  all  of 
Franklin's  roughly  formed  machines  were  neatly 
made  by  regular  instrument  makers.  His  lectures 
drew  large  audiences,  and  pleased  all.  He  de 
livered  them  in  all  the  chief  towns  and  cities  of 
the  colonies,  and,  as  Franklin  expresses  it,  "picked 
up  some  money."  It  was  found  that  in  the  West 


GETTING  FAME.  189 

India  Islands,  however,  owing  to  the  moisture  of 
the  atmosphere,  the  experiments  could  be  made 
only  with  much  difficulty. 

The  next  thing  done  by  Franklin  and  his  little 
knot  of  scientific  students,  was  to  send  back  word 
to  England,  to  Mr.  Collinson,  who  had  presented 
them  with  the  tube  and  an  account  of  its  use  in 
producing  electrical  phenomena,  the  result  thus 
far  of  their  doings.  Accordingly,  Franklin  wrote 
him  several  letters,  filled  with  recitals  of  their  ex 
periments  at  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Collinson  pro 
cured  them  to  be  read  before  the  Royal  Society ; 
but  none  of  the  members  of  that  very  learned  body 
thought  them  of  importance,  or  even  of  interest, 
sufficient  to  merit  publication  in  their  regular 
"  Transactions."  There  was  one  paper,  in  particu 
lar,  that  caused  actual  mirth  among  those  connois 
seurs  in  science :  it  was  one  which  Franklin  had 
drawn  up  for  Mr.  Khmersley,  his  neighbor  and 
the  lecturer,  in  which  he  maintained  that  elec 
tricity  was  the  same  thing  with  lightning.  Frank 
lin  had  sent  a  copy  of  it  to  a  friend  of  his  in  Lon 
don,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Royal  Society;  all 
the  response  he  was  able  to  get  respecting  it  was 
that  it  had  been  read  before  the  members  and 
laughed  down. 


190  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

"When  Dr.  Fothergill  read  these  American  ac 
counts,  however,  he  saw,  as  by  instinct,  the  great 
value  of  them,  and  advised  to  their  printing.  Mr. 
Collinson  then  handed  them  to  Cave,  to  be  pub 
lished  in  the  Gentleman's  Magazine ;  but  it  was 
thought  best  by  him  to  put  them  forth  in  a  distinct 
pamphlet,  to  which  Dr.  Fothergill  wrote  the  pre 
face.  The  additions  which  were  afterwards  added 
to  this  first  account  swelled  the  pamphlet  to  the 
size  of  a  quarto  volume,  which  passed  through 
many  editions. 

These  discoveries,  however,  failed  to  attract 
much  attention  in  England  for  a  long  time,  owing, 
no  doubt,  to  the  neglect  they  received  at  the  hands 
of  the  Royal  Society ;  but  a  copy  of  the  pam 
phlet,  with  its  additions,  happened  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  Count  Buffon,  a  philosopher  of 
great  fame  not  only  in  France  but  throughout 
Europe,  who  prevailed  on  M.  Dubourg  to  trans 
late  them  into  French,  and  to  have  the  whole 
printed  in  Paris.  The  Abbe  Collet  was  the  pre 
ceptor  in  natural  philosophy  to  the  royal  family, 
and  had  made  many  experiments  in  reference  to 
electricity,  which  were  the  basis  of  a  theory  then 
generally  accepted.  To  such  a  person  Franklin's 
startling  discoveries  were,  of  course,  not  at  all  ac- 


GETTING   FAME.  191 

ceptable,  since  they  tended  to  overthrow  his  whole 
theory  and  impair  his  reputation  with  the  public 
as  a  philosopher.  He  was  actually  offended  at  the 
publication  of  Franklin's  pamphlet.  He  would 
not  believe  that  any  experiments  of  the  sort  had 
ever  been  made  in  America,  but  preferred  to  think 
that  his  enemies  at  Paris  had  fabricated  these  ac 
counts  on  purpose  to  oppose  his  system.  But 
being  assured,  some  time  afterward,  that  there 
really  was  such  a  person  at  Philadelphia  as  Benja 
min  Franklin,  and  that  he  had  made  these  experi 
ments  and  discoveries  relative  to  electricity,  he 
wrote  and  printed  a  series  of  letters  for  the  public 
eye,  but  ostensibly  addressed  to  Franklin,  in  which 
he  defended  his  own  theory  of  electricity,  denied 
the  truth  of  Franklin's  experiments,  and  scouted 
the  inferences  which  the  latter  drew  from  them. 

Franklin  at  one  time  thought  of  writing  and 
publishing  a  reply  to  this  volume  of  the  Abbe's ; 
but,  on  reflection,  it  occurred  to  him  that,  at  best, 
it  would  be  but  a  war  of  words,  while  the  facts,  as 
set  down  in  his  pamphlet,  would  speak  for  them 
selves.  If  these  facts  could  not  be  verified,  on  one 
side  of  the  Atlantic  as  well  as  the  other,  then  they 
could  not  be  defended ;  the  only  way  would  be, 
to  keep  on  multiplying  the  facts,  and  let  then) 


192  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

make  their  own  way.  Besides,  even  having  tht, 
advantage  of  truth  on  his  side,  he  felt  sure  that  a 
controversy  carried  on  in  two  different  languages 
was  liable  to  much  looseness,  and  the  chances 
therefore  were  that  it  would  end  in  dissatisfaction 
to  themselves  and  disgust  to  the  public.  He  went 
on  with  his  experiments,  therefore,  instead  of 
spending  his  time  in  unprofitable  discussion,  and 
in  this  respect  proved  the  wisdom  of  which  he  was 
really  possessed. 

His  silence  never  caused  him  regret.  It  was  not 
necessary  for  him  to  defend  his  book,  or  to  come 
to  the  rescue  of  his  facts.  The  volume  was  soon 
translated  into  the  Italian,  German,  and  Latin 
languages,  and  its  doctrines  were  gradually  adopted 
by  the  philosophers  of  Europe,  in  preference  to 
those  held  by  the  Abbe  Collet,  M.  Le  Roy,  a 
friend  of  Franklin,  and  a  member  of  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Sciences,  of  France,  took  up  the  pen 
in  defence  of  the  new  discoveries  and  theories 
of  the  latter,  completely  refuting  the  Abbe,  and 
rendering  any  further  attention  at  Franklin's 
hands  unnecessary. 

There  was  one  thing  that  helped  to  bring  the 
book  of  Franklin  into  immediate  notice,  and  to 
give  it  even  celebrity ;  that  was  the  brilliant  sue- 


GETTING   FAME.  193 

cess  of  one  of  the  experiments  which  were  set 
down  in  it,  which  was  tried  by  Messieurs  De  Lor 
and  Dalibard,  at  Marly,  for  drawing  down  light 
ning  from  the  clouds.  So  bold  an  experiment, 
and  one  unheard  of  before,  challenged  the  pro- 
foundest  curiosity  of  scientific  men  and  excited 
the  unbounded  admiration  of  all  who  heard  of  it. 
Nothing  was  talked  of,  at  the  time,  but  this  one 
absorbing  matter.  M.  De  Lor  likewise  had  an 
apparatus  for  trying  philosophical  experiments, 
and  was  in  the  habit  of  lecturing.  In  his  lectures 
on  Electricity,  he  undertook  to  repeat  what  then 
went  by  the  name  of  the  "  Philadelphia  Experi 
ments."  When  once  they  had  been  performed  in 
the  presence  of  the  French  King  and  his  Court, 
all  Paris  flocked  afterwards  to  witness  them. 

The  experiment  of  drawing  down  the  lightnings 
from  the  heavens,  which  was  to  demonstrate  that 
they  and  electricity  were  one  and  the  same  sub 
stance,  it  was  ordained  that  Franklin  should  make, 
with  the  simple  means  which  were  at  his  command ; 
and  the  story  of  it  belongs  in  this  very  place.  He 
had  gone  far  enough  to  be  assured  that  in  many 
points  they  closely  resembled  one  another;  one 
final  test  only  remained  to  be  made. 

What  attracts  us  more  than  all  to  his  character? 

17 


194  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

too,  in  spite  of  what  flippant  modern  writers  say 
of  his  penurious  maxims  and  saving  habits,  is  the 
perfect  openness  of  it,  lying  exposed,  as  it  did,  to 
the  advantage  or  the  criticism  of  all.  He  kept  no 
part  of  it  selfishly  in  reserve.  "While  he  was  con 
ducting  the  great  experiment  to  which  we  allude, 
he  never  sought  to  shut  out  the  light  that  had 
already  reached  him  from  the  eyes  of  other  in 
quirers,  but  published  his  ideas  as  fast  as  they 
occurred  to  him,  and  freely  invited  all  other 
students  of  philosophy  to  pursue  the  same  object 
with  himself. 

His  original  plan  for  drawing  the  electric  fluid 
from  the  clouds  was  by  raising  insulated  bars  of 
iron  to  great  heights  in  the  air.  On  this  hint,  the 
experimenters  in  England  and  France  practised 
with  metallic  bars,  but  nothing  decisive  came  of 
it.  At  length  the  true  mode  occurred  to  him. 
Like  all  of  the  grand  discoveries  of  the  age,  it 
was  effected  through  the  simplest  means.  He 
made  a  kite  of  silk,  choosing  that  rather  than 
paper  because  the  rain  would  not  harm  it,  to  which 
he  fixed  a  slender  barb,  or  point,  of  iron.  The 
string  by  which  the  kite  was  held  was  also  of  silk, 
and  at  the  end  of  the  string,  just  below  his  hand, 
hung  a  key. 


GETTING  FAME.  195 

"With  so  simple  an  instrument  as  this,  he  went 
out  into  the  suburbs  of  Philadelphia  one  day  when 
a  thunder  storm  was  coming  over  the  town,  and 
set  his  kite  flying  toward  the  clouds.  What  great 
results,  in  the  line  of  discoveries,  hung  on  that 
single  little  experiment!  The  lightning  in  the 
clouds  soon  caught  his  point  of  iron  at  the  head 
of  the  kite,  and,  traversing  the  kite,  found  its 
swift  way  along  the  rudely  constructed  silken 
string.  He  could  himself  see  that  the  fibres  of 
silk  were  raised  by  the  subtle  contact.  Now  came 
the  moment  of  his  great  anxiety  and  his  triumph. 
Applying  his  knuckle  to  the  key  which  hung  from 
the  end  of  the  string,  he  drew  from  it  a  living 
spark !  Again  and  again  he  did  so,  and  each  time 
with  similar  success.  He  then  charged  a  vial 
which  he  had  at  hand  with  the  fluid,  drawing  it 
from  the  clouds  through  the  key,  and  found  it 
would  explode  gunpowder,  set  spirits  of  wine  on 
fire,  and  perform  all  other  tricks  which  were  per 
formed  by  electricity  itself. 

The  experiment  was  a  success.  The  printer- 
philosopher  had  made  a  discovery  from  which 
consequences  of  the  most  important  character 
were  to  be  secured  to  the  human  family.  His 


196  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

pleasure  it  is  no  part  of  our  task  to  attempt  to 
describe. 

To  this  account  of  his  great  experiment  with 
the  kite  should  he  added  a  recital  of  some  of  the 
various  little  electrical  amusements  with  which  he 
relaxed  his  mind  in  the  intervals  of  his  severer 
studies,  and  entertained  the  friends  who  were  in 
the  hahit  of  frequenting  his  house.  One  of  these 
was  "the  Magic  Pistol,"  an  instrument  which  he 
charged  with  inflammable  air,  stopped  with  a  cork, 
and  fired  by  means  of  a  charged  rod  near  the 
pistol's  mouth.  On  drawing  the  rod,  the  electric 
spark  flew  in,  and  the  inflammable  air  was  set  on 
fire.  Out  went  the  cork  with  a  sharp  report, 
hitting  any  object  against  which  it  might  be  aimed. 

Another  was  a  set  of  toys,  composed  of  little 
dogs  made  of  elder  pith,  with  straw  feet  and  tails. 
He  would  place  these  little  fellows  upon  the  table, 
and,  taking  a  large  tumbler,  or  receiver,  which 
had  been  charged  with  the  fluid,  clapped  it  sud 
denly  over  them.  Upon  this  they  all  began  to 
dance  and  skip  about,  and  to  make  attempts  to 
run  up  the  sides  of  the  glass,  as  if  to  get  out. 
These  Franklin  used  to  call  his  "  dancing  dogs." 

Still  another  was  a  plate  of  tin,  cut  into  the 
form  of  a  star,  and  secure  to  the  end  of  a,  prime 


GETTING   FAME.  197 

conductor.  On  putting  out  the  caadles,  and 
making  a  turn  or  two  of  the  jar,  the  fluid  danced 
and  shimmered  at  all  the  angles  of  the  cut  tin- 
plate,  and  made  a  light  as  "beautiful  as  it  is  possible 
to  conceive.  He  called  this  toy  "the  electric 
star." 

Another  was  more  ingenious  than  the  foregoing, 
and  intended  to  illustrate  a  well-known  Scripture 
story.  He  had  a  large  picture  of  a  man  dressed  in 
purple  and  fine  linen,  and  behind  it  stood  concealed 
an  electrical  jar.  A  little  way  off  was  a  small 
brass  pillar,  and  by  it  lay  a  ragged  beggar.  Sus 
pended  from  the  ceiling,  and  reaching  down  to 
the  table  on  which  stood  the  jar,  was  the  picture 
of  a  boy,  beautiful,  and  of  an  angelic  expression. 
The  picture  of  the  man  who  was  dressed  in  purple 
and  fine  linen  he  called  Dives ;  while  that  of  the 
beautiful  boy  he  named  the  Son  of  Dives ;  the 
poor  man  reclining  at  the  base  of  the  post  he  called 
Lazarus.  His  trick  was  to  make  Dives,  who  had 
in  his  imaginary  lifetime  refused  to  help  Lazarus, 
now  administer  comfort  and  aid  to  him  through 
his  son.  In  order  to  do  this,  he  charged  the  con 
cealed  jar  with  electricity.  This  drew  the  youth 
to  it,  who,  on  being  charged  with  the  fluid,  flew 
in  great  haste  to  the  brass  pillar  at  the  foot  of  which 
17* 


198  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

lay  Lazarus,  and  there  discharged  his  whole  burden. 
On  being  thus  relieved,  he  once  more  hastened 
back  to  the  jar  behind  Dives, — although  to  the 
spectator  he  only  appeared  to  approach  Dives 
himself, — where  he  got  his  second  load,  which  he 
emptied  at  the  feet  of  Lazarus  as  before.  After 
he  had  equalized  the  quantity  of  electric  fluid 
between  them,  by  thus  taking  from  one  and  giving 
to  the  other,  he  rested  satisfied.  This  toy  he 
named  "Dives  and  Lazarus." 

The  Royal  Society  of  London  by  this  time  took 
up  the  serious  consideration  of  the  letters  he  had 
some  time  before  sent  over  to  them,  but  which 
had  been  until  then  superciliously  neglected.  They 
felt  obliged  to  do  so  from  very  shame,  in  order  to 
keep  abreast  with  the  new  discoveries ;  the  Paris 
Society  had  received  and  considered  them  with 
enthusiasm,  and  its  London  associate  was  forced 
to  do  what  it  had  so  long  and  so  ignorantly  refused 
to  do. 

They  paid  Franklin  the  compliment  of  choosing 
him  a  member;  excused  him  from  paying  the 
customary  fees ;  and  presented  him  with  the  Cop 
ley  gold  medal  for  1753,  which  was  accompanied 
with  a  highly  complimentary  speech  by  the  Presi 
dent  of  the  Society,  Lord  Macclesfield. 


AS   A   MILITARY   MAN.  199 


CHAPTER  IX. 

AS    A    MILITARY    MAN. 

THE  lords  of  trade  in  the  mother  country 
sent  over  orders,  in  1754,  that  a  Congress  of 
Commissioners  from  the  several  colonies 
should  be  held  at  Albany,  to  confer  with  the  chiefs 
of  the  Six  Nations,  Indian  tribes  in  central  and 
western  K"ew  York,  about  the  defence  of  the 
country  of  both  peoples  against  the  expected  in 
vasion  of  France.  "War  with  France  was  just 
then  apprehended  by  Great  Britain,  which  after 
wards  did  break  out,  and  became  a  protracted 
contest  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  for  the  posses 
sion  of  the  continent.  It  lasted  some  seven  years, 
and  is  known  in  history  as  the  old  French  and 
Indian  "War. 

The  Governor  of  Pennsylvania  named  four  per 
sons  to  constitute  the  commission  for  that  colony, 
among  whom  was  Benjamin  Franklin.  They  took 
with  them  presents  for  the  Indians,  and  met  with 


200  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

the  commissioners  from  the  other  cohnies,  at 
Albany,  about  the  middle  of  June.  They  stopped 
in  New  York  on  their  way  to  Albany,  and  Frank 
lin  laid  before  two  gentlemen  of  wide  experience 
in  public  affairs  in  that  city — Mr.  James  Alexander 
and  Mr.  Kennedy, — a  plan  which  he  had  devised 
for  an  Union  of  all  the  colonies  under  one  government, 
for  the  common  defence  and  other  purposes.  This 
was,  in  fact,  the  quiet  suggestion  which  proved  the 
forerunner  of  the  great  federative  movement  made 
twenty  years  later.  It  seemed  as  if  there  then  lay 
in  Franklin's  brain  the  germ  of  the  scheme  which 
was  to  secure  the  independence  of  the  colonies. 

On  reaching  Albany,  his  plan  for  an  union  having 
met  the  approbation  of  the  two  gentlemen  named, 
he  lost  no  time  in  presenting  it  to  the  Congress. 
He  found  that  other  commissioners  had  likewise 
projected  plans  of  a  similar  character.  The  first 
step  taken,  therefore,  was  to  put  it  to  a  vote 
whether  such  an  union  should  be  formed ;  and  it 
was  decided  in  the  affirmative  without  a  dissenting 
vote.  Upon  this,  a  committee  of  one  from  each 
colony  was  raised,  to  consider  the  several  plans 
which  were  brought  in,  and  duly  report  upon 
them.  The  committee  gave  Franklin's  plan  the 
preference  over  the  others,  and  reported  it  back  to 


AS   A    MILITARY   MAN.  201 

the  Congress  with  a  few  amendments.  As  this 
plan  of  union  is  become  an  important  matter  in 
our  history  as  a  nation,  room  may  be  claimed  here 
for  a  statement  of  its  features,  and  its  history. 

In  the  first  place,  the  general  government  of  the 
colonies  thus  united  was  to  be  administered  by  a 
President-General,  who  should  receive  his  appoint 
ment  and  support  from  England.  $Text,  a  grand 
Council  was  to  be  elected  by  the  colonial  assem 
blies,  which  were  the  direct  representatives  of  the 
people.  The  Congress  took  it  up  and  debated  it, 
at  the  same  time  that  the  Indian  business  was 
under  discussion.  All.  the  objections  possible  to 
raise  against  it  were  brought  up,  discussed,  and 
finally  removed;  and  at  length  the  scheme  was 
adopted  by  the  body  of  commissioners,  and  copies 
of  it  were  ordered  to  be  sent  to  the  Board  of 
Trade  in  London,  as  well  as  to  the  Assemblies  of 
the  various  colonies. 

The  assemblies  refused  to  adopt  it,  because  they 
thought  it  gave  too  much  power  over  colonial  affairs 
to  the  crown ;  while  the  English  government  re 
fused  its  sanction  to  the  measure,  because  it  deemed 
the  scheme  much  too  democratic,  leaving  more  power 
in  the  hands  of  the  people  of  the  colonies  than  was 
consist'ert  with  the  supreme  control  of  the  mother 


202  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

government.  It  was  not  adopted  by  the  Board  of 
Trade,  nor  did  that  body  recommend  it  to  the  favor 
of  the  king.  But  in  place  of  it,  they  projected 
another  scheme,  which  they  professed  to  believe  a 
much  better  one.  It  was  as  follows : — that  the 
Governors  of  the  provinces,  together  with  a  stated 
number  of  members  of  their  Councils,  should 
meet  whenever  they  thought  best,  and  order  troops 
to  be  raised,  forts  to  be  built,  and  draw  on  the 
treasury  of  Great  Britain  for  money  to  defray  the 
expense;  and  the  money  thus  drawn  from  the 
English  treasury  was  to  be  paid  back  again  by  a 
tax  laid  by  Parliament  on  the  American  provinces. 
In  the  winter  of  1754-5,  Franklin  was  in  Boston, 
and  exchanged  views  often  with  Governor  Shirley 
on  the  plans  both  of  the  Congress  and  of  Great 
Britain.  The  letters  which  passed  between  them 
form  a  part  of  the  most  interesting  history  of  that 
important  period.  Franklin  was  always  inclined 
to  believe  that  his  proposed  plan  was  the  safe  and 
proper  one,  because  it  was  so  strongly  liked  and 
opposed.  He  thought  it  would  have  been  better 
for  the  country  if  it  had  then  been  adopted;  for 
the  colonies,  united  in  this  way,  would  have  been 
strong  enough  to  take  care  of  themselves ;  there 
would  have  been  no  need  of  bringing  over  troops 


AS   A    MILITARY    MAN.  203 

from  England;  and,  in  that  way,  the  pretext 
which  was  afterwards  raised  in  Great  Britain  for 
taxing  the  colonies  could  never  have  existed, — 
and  the  long  and  weary  war  which  ensued  in  con 
sequence  of  the  tax,  would  have  been  wholly 
avoided.  But,  says  Franklin,  moralizing  on  this 
point,  "the  best  public  measures  are  seldom 
adopted  from  previous  wisdom,  but  forced  by  the 
occasion."  The  plan  of  union,  as  proposed  by 
Franklin,  met  with  the  approbation  of  the  Governor 
of  Pennsylvania,  however,  who  spoke. of  it  "as 
appearing  to  be  drawn  up  with  great  clearness  and 
strength  of  judgment;"  and  he  recommended  it 
to  the  Assembly  "  as  well  worthy  of  their  closest 
and  most  serious  attention."  But  in  Franklin's 
absence,  it  was  unfairly  brought  up  by  a  member, 
who,  by  artful  management,  procured  it  to  be  con 
demned  by  the  House. 

Stopping  in  "New  York  on  his  way  to  Boston,  he 
met  there  the  newly  appointed  Pennsylvania 
Governor,  just  come  over  from  Europe, — Governor 
Morris,  with  whom  he  had  had  a  previous  familiar 
acquaintance.  Governor  Hamilton  had  resigned 
his  office,  tired  of  the  disputes  that  were  set  agoing 
by  his  instructions  from  the  Proprietors,  who  re 
sided  in  England.  Governor  Morris  asked  Frank- 


204  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 

lin  if  lie  might  anticipate  for  himself  as  unquiet 
and  troublesome  an  administration.  "No,"  said 
the  latter;  "you  may,  on  the  contrary,  have  a 
very  comfortable  one,  if  you  will  only  take  care 
not  to  enter  into  any  dispute  with  the  Assembly." 
"My  dear  friend,"  was  the  reply  of  Morris,  "how 
can  you  advise  my  avoiding  disputes  ?  You  know 
I  love  disputing ;  it  is  one  of  my  greatest  pleasures. 
However,  to  show  the  regard  I  have  for  your 
counsel,  I  promise  you  I  will,  if  possible,  avoid 
them."  And  on  this  general  practice  of  disputa 
tion,  let  us  here  quote  the  words  of  so  wise  a  man 
as  Dr.  Franklin.  He  says  that  Morris  "  had  some 
reason  for  loving  to  dispute,  being  eloquent,  an 
acute  sophister,  and  therefore  generally  successful 
in  argumentative  conversation.  He  had  been 
brought  up  to  it  from  a  boy,  his  father,  as  I  have 
heard,  accustoming  his  children  to  dispute  with 
one  another  for  his  diversion  while  sitting  at  table 
after  dinner;  but  I  think  the  practice  was  not 
wise,  for,  in  the  course  of  my  observation,  those 
disputing,  contradicting,  and  confuting  people  are 
generally  unfortunate  in  their  affairs.  They  get 
victory  sometimes,  but  they  never  get  good  will, 
which  would  be  of  more  use  to  them." 

Gov.  Morris  soon  got  into  disputes  with  the  As- 


AS   A    MILITARY   MAN.  205 

sembly,  however,  in  spite  of  his  promises  to  Frank 
lin.  The  latter  heard  of  it,  as  soon  as  he  reached 
Few  York  on  his  way  home.  After  he  got  back, 
he  took  his  own  seat  in  the  Assembly,  and  was 
straightway  placed  on  every  committee  which  was 
appointed  for  drawing  up  replies  to  the  Governor's 
messages  and  speeches.  Both  the  messages*  and 
the  replies  were,  as  Franklin  confesses,  "often 
tart,  and  sometimes  indecently  abusive  ;"  and  inas 
much  as  the  Governor  knew  very  well  who  drew 
them  up,  it  would  have  been  natural  to  expect 
that  when  they  met  they  would  have  flown  at  one 
another's  throats.  Such  was  by  no  means  the 
case,  however ;  on  the  contrary,  they  often  dined 
together.  The  Governor  was  personally  one  of 
the  best  natured  of  men. 

While  this  public  quarrel  was  at  its  height,  they 
met  one  day  in  the  street.  Said  the  Governor — 
"  Franklin,  you  must  go  home  with  me  and  spend 
the  evening ;  I  am  to  have  some  company  that  you 
will  like."  And  he  took  him  by  the  arm,  and  led 
him  to  his  house.  Over  their  wine,  after  supper, 
while  indulging  in  a  strain  of  frolicsome  talk,  the 
Governor  said  that  he  was  much  taken  with  Sancho 
Panza's  idea,  who  replied,  when  he  was  told  that 
a  government  was  about  to  be  given  to  him,  that 

18 


206  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

he  hoped  it  would  be  a  government  of  blacks ; 
for  then,  if  he  could  not  agree  with  his  people,  he 
could  sell  them.  One  of  the  Governor's  friends, 
who  sat  next  Franklin  at  the  table,  said  to  him — 
"  Franklin,  why  do  you  continue  to  side  with  those 
damned  Quakers  ?  Had  you  not  better  sell  them  ? 
the  Proprietor  would  give  you  a  good  price." 
Franklin  replied — "  The  Governor  has  not  yet 
blacked  them  enough."  And  the  latter  went  on  to 
comment,  that  he  had  indeed  labored  hard  to 
blacken  the  Assembly  in  all  his  messages,  but 
they  wiped  off  his  coloring  as  fast  as  he  laid  it  on, 
and  placed  it  thick  on  his  own  face,  in  return ;  so 
that,  finding  he  was  in  a  way  of  being  negrofied 
himself,  he  grew  sick  of  his  government  and 
quitted  the  province. 

Now  that  war  was  really  at  their  doors,  the 
Massachusetts  Bay  Colony  projected  an  expedi 
tion  against  Crown  Point ;  and  in  order  to  secure 
aid  and  co-operation,  they  sent  Mr.  Quincy  to 
Pennsylvania,  and  Mr.  Pownall,  who  was  after 
ward  Governor,  to  New  York.  Franklin  being 
in  the  Assembly,  and  being  a  native  of  the  same 
colony  with  Mr.  Quincy,  he  was  able  to  do  a  good 
deal  for  him.  The  latter  applied  to  him  at  once 
for  advice  and  assistance.  Franklin  helped  him 


AS   A   MILITARY   MAN.  207 

to  draw  up  an  address  to  the  Assembly,  and  it  was 
well  received  by  that  body.  They  voted  ten  thou 
sand  pounds  in  aid  of  the  expedition,  the  money  to 
be  laid  out  in  provisions.  But  the  Governor  re 
fused  his  signature  to  the  bill,  unless  the  estates 
of  the  Proprietaries  were  exempted  from  taxation. 
This  Proprietary  interest  and  influence  will  be  ex 
plained  shortly.  Mr.  Quincy  tried  hard  to  induce 
the  Governor  to  assent  to  the  bill,  but  to  no  pur 
pose.  Franklin  then  devised  a  plan  for  getting 
along  without  him ;  which  was,  by  orders  on  the 
Loan  Office,  which  the  Assembly  had  a  legal  right 
to  draw.  Just  then,  there  happened  to  be  no 
money  in  the  office;  and  Franklin  proposed  that 
the  orders  should  be  payable  in  a  year,  at  five  per 
cent,  interest. 

This  was  at  once  adopted  by  the  Assembly. 
These  orders  were  very  rapidly  taken  up  by  per 
sons  having  money  to  invest;  for  their  money  was 
at  once  put  upon  interest;  and  the  printed  orders 
which  they  held  were  as  readily  passed  from  hand 
to  hand  as  if  they  had  been  bank  notes.  And  so 
the  aid  for  which  Mr.  Quincy  had  come  from  Mas 
sachusetts  was  all  rendered  at  last,  and  he  went 
back  with  a  heart  full  of  joy  to  his  own  people. 
Before  going,  however,  he  returned  thanks  to  the 


208  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

House  in  a  handsomely  written  address.  He  ever 
after  entertained  for  Franklin  the  sincerest  friend 
ship. 

"War  having  broken  out,  and  Great  Britain  hav 
ing  refused  to  countenance  the  union  of  the  colo 
nies,  of  course  the  government  was  obliged  to  send 
over  here  the  troops  which  it  would  not  permit 
the   colonies   to   raise   among  themselves.     The 
famous  General  Braddock  was  therefore  shipped 
to  America,  with  a  couple  of  regiments  of  English 
troops.     He   landed   at  Alexandria,  in  Virginia, 
and  marched  with  his  force   from  that  place  to 
Fredericktown,  in  Maryland.     Both  places  have 
become  very  well  known  to  all  readers  since  the 
war  of  the  Great  Rebellion,  in  this  country.     The 
Pennsylvania  Assembly  feared  that  he,  or  his  mas 
ters,  had   conceived   a   strong  prejudice   against 
them,  and  sent  off  Franklin  to  meet  and  confer 
with  him ;  not  as  an  authorized  agent  of  theirs, 
but  rather  as  Postmaster-General  of  the  colonies, 
professing  to  desire  an  arrangement  with  him  for 
the  best  mode  of  sending  intelligence  from  the 
army  to  the  several  Governors  with  the  greatest 
despatch.     Franklin  was  to  assume  that  he  would 
require  to  have  a  correspondence  with  them,  and 


AS   A  MILITARY   MAN.  209 

the  expense  of  it  they  of  course  proposed  to  pay 
themselves. 

He  set  out,  therefore,  with  his  son  in  company, 
and  met   General    Braddock  at  Fredericktown, 
waiting  for  the  wagons  to  come  in  for  which  he 
had  sent  around  among  the  settlers  in  the  back 
parts  of  Maryland  and  Virginia.     He  was  with 
the  General  several  days ;  dined  with  him ;  and 
improved  the  time  to  remove  his  prejudices  by 
acquainting  him  with  what  the  Assembly  had  done 
before  he  and  his  troops  arrived,  and  what  they 
were  still  willing  to  do  to  advance  his  plans.    Just 
as  Franklin  was  about  to  depart,  the  wagons  came 
in  to  headquarters.     There  were  but  twenty-five 
of  them  in  all,  and  not  every  one  of  those  was 
worth  anything  for  his  purpose.     So  great  was  the 
General's  astonishment,  he  declared  that  nothing 
could  be  done,  and  that  the  expedition  would  have 
to  be  abandoned.     His  officers  were  of  the  same 
opinion.     They  could  not  get  along  with  less  than 
one  hundred   and  fifty  wagons ;  and  it  was  very 
natural  for  them  to  blame  their  government  for 
sending  them  into  a  country  where  no  transporta 
tion  was  provided  them. 

Franklin  said  to  the  officers  that  he  wished  they 
had  been  landed  in  Pennsylvania,  because  in  that 

18* 


210  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

country  nearly  every  farmer  had  his  wagon.  Brad- 
dock  seized  hold  of  the  suggestion  at  once.  "  Then 
you/'  said  he  to  Franklin,  "who  are  a  man  of  in 
fluence  there,  can  probably  procure  them  for  us ; 
and  I  beg  you  will  undertake  it."  The  terms  were 
talked  of  between  them.  Franklin  stated  them 
on  paper.  They  were  at  once  agreed  to.  He 
posted  to  Lancaster,  and  published  them  there  as 
an  advertisement.  The  effect  was  direct.  In  this 
advertisement,  he  told  the  people  that  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  four-horse  wagons,  and  fifteen  hun 
dred  saddle,  or  pack,  horses  were  wanted;  and 
that  he  should  be  at  Lancaster  and  York  for 
stated  periods,  to  agree  with  them  for  said  wagons 
and  teams,  on  terms  which  he  announced, — the 
wagons  to  earn  so  many  shillings  per  day,  the 
horses  so  many,  and  the  pay  for  seven  days  to  be 
given  in  advance. 

Thus  was  Franklin  become  an  army  contractor. 
He  authorized  his  son  "William  to  enter  into  simi 
lar  contracts  in  an  adjoining  county. 

In  addition  to  this  advertisement,  he  issued  to 
the  inhabitants  of  York,  Lancaster,  and  Cumber 
land  an  address,  setting  forth  the  condition  of 
affairs  with  the  army  at  Frederick,  informing  them 
that  it  nad  been  the  intention  of  Gen.  Braddock 


AS   A   MILITARY   MAN.  211 

to  send  out  parties  of  soldiers  to  take  from  the  far 
mers  by  force  the  wagons  and  horses  which  were 
wanted,  and  appealing  to  them  by  every  considera 
tion  to  come  forward  and  show  their  loyalty  for 
their  own  government  and  country.  "  The  King's 
business,"  said  he,  "must  be  done.  So  many 
brave  troops,  come  so  far  for  your  defence,  must 
not  stand  idle  through  your  backwardness  to 
do  what  may  be  Treasonably  expected  from  you. 
"Wagons  and  horses  must  be  had.  Violent  mea 
sures  will  probably  be  used ;  and  you  will  be  left 
to  seek  a  recompense  where  you  can  find  it,  and 
your  case,  perhaps,  be  little  pitied  or  regarded." 
He  further  told  them  that  he  was  obliged  to  send 
the  General  word  of  his  success  within  fourteen 
days ;  and  if  they  did  not  come  promptly  to  the 
rescue,  a  body  of  soldiers  would  immediately  enter 
the  province  to  go  about  the  work  of  impress 
ment. 

He  received  eight  hundred  pounds  of  General 
Braddock  to  make  purchases  with,  and  advanced 
two  hundred  himself;  and  in  two  weeks,  wagons 
and  horses  were  on  their  way  to  the  camp.  The 
farmers,  knowing  nothing  of  Gen.  Braddock,  in 
sisted  that  Franklin  should  sign  the  bonds  for 
the  performance  of  the  contract;  which  he  did. 


212  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

Franklin  likewise  got  up  a  subscription  in  the  As 
sembly  for  the  officers  in  this  expedition  through 
the  wilderness,  and  furnished  them  with  twenty 
parcels  of  comforts,  which  were  packed  upon  as 
many  horses,  each  parcel  being  intended  as  a  pre 
sent  for  every  officer,  and  containing  a  stated 
quantity  of  sugar,  tea,  coffee,  chocolate,  vinegar, 
cheese,  butter,  wine,  spirits,  hams,  tongue,  and  so 
forth.  They  felt  very  grateful  to  him,  and  the 
Colonels  of  both  regiments  expressed  to  him  the 
thanks  of  the  officers  under  them.  Gen.  Braddock 
was  also  pleased  with  Franklin's  prompt  agency 
in  getting  him  wagons,  and  paid  his  accounts  with 
out  delay.  Franklin  was  busily  employed  in  for 
warding  supplies  to  his  army,  according  to  request, 
until  the  news  came  of  his  most  unexpected  de 
feat;  at  that  time  he  had  advanced  of  his  own 
money,  for  provisions,  fully  a  thousand  pounds. 
Luckily,  as  he  admits,  the  bills  were  paid  before 
the  disaster,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  remain 
der  ;  that  he  never  got. 

Franklin  thought  Braddock  a  brave  man,  as 
did  every  one  who  knew  him ;  but  he  held  too 
high  notions  about  the  valor  of  British  regulars 
on  the  one  hand,  and  too  mean  ones  of  Americans 
and  Indians  on  the  other.  An  Indian  interpreter 


AS  A  MILITARY   MAN.  213 

joined  him  on  his  march  against  Fort  Duquesne, 
with  a  body  of  a  hundred  Indians,  who  might 
have  been  of  great  use  to  him  as  guides  and  scouts ; 
but  he  paid  but  little  attention  to  them,  thinking 
their  services  of  no  value,  and  they  quietly  left 
him  and  his  army  to  their  fate.  He  told  Franklin, 
one  day,  what  he  intended  to  do,  as  confident  in 
his  feelings  as  if  he  could  walk  over  the  continent 
unmolested.  Said  he,  "after  taking  Fort  Du 
quesne,  I  am  to  proceed  to  Niagara ;  and,  having 
taken  that,  to  Frontenac,  if  the  season  will  allow 
time,  and  I  suppose  it  will;  for  Duquesne  can 
hardly  detain  me  above  three  or  four  days ;  and 
then  I  see  nothing  that  can  obstruct  my  march  to 
Niagara."  Franklin  was  not  so  sanguine;  and 
pointed  out  to  him  the  danger  to  be  apprehended 
from  ambuscades  in  the  wilderness,  arid  the  lia 
bility  to  his  long  column  of  being  cut  into  many 
parts  by  the  Indians  before  one  part  could  come 
to  the  relief  of  the  other.  But  Braddock  smiled 
at  Franklin's  ignorance,  answering  him  that  "  these 
savages  might  strike  dread  in  the  hearts  of  the 
American  militia,  but  never  would  move  the  dis 
ciplined  troops  of  Britain."  How  dearly  he  paid 
for  his  boasting  !  Franklin  was  sure  of  his  own 
opinion,  yet  did  not  feel  qualified  to  combat  that  of 


214  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

an  experienced  military  man;  so  lie  said  nothing 
more. 

The  story  of  Braddock's  expedition  against 
Fort  Duquesne  must  be  told  here  in  few  words. 
He  had  pushed  on  through  the  wilderness,  his 
troops  cutting  their  narrow  roads  in  some  places 
as  they  went,  until  they  came  within  ahout  nine 
miles  of  the  place.  A  part  of  the  army  had  crossed 
a  river,  and  waited  until  the  other  part  came  over  • 
this  brought  them  all  in  one  body,  and  in  an  open 
place  in  the  wilderness :  and  then  the  enemy 
opened  on  them  with  a  murderous  fire  from  an 
ambuscade,  every  bush,  tree,  log,  and  rock  con 
cealing  an  unerring  marksman.  Until  this  deadly 
fire  was  opened,  General  Braddock  had  no  idea 
that  the  foe  were  anywhere  near  him. 

The  guard  was  instantly  thrown  into  disorder, 
and  the  troops  were  hurried  forward  to  their  relief, 
making  their  way  precipitately  among  the  crowded 
wagons,  baggage,  and  horses.  Then  a  fire  as  sud 
denly  broke  forth  upon  their  flank.  The  officers 
formed  very  conspicuous  marks  for  the  fire  of  the 
secreted  foe,  because  they  were  on  horseback ;  and 
they  fell  to  the  ground  as  fast  as  they  could  be 
sighted  by  the  enemy.  TKe  troops  were  huddled 
together  in  a  body,  and  heard  no  orders  from 


AS   A   MILITARY   MAN.  215 

their  officers ;  all  they  did,  therefore,  was  to  stand 
still  and  be  shot  down.  In  this  way,  fully  two- 
thirds  of  them  were  slaughtered.  They  after 
wards — what  were  left  of  them — were  struck  with 
a  panic,  and  fled  in  great  terror.  The  drivers  took 
a  horse  apiece  from  their  teams,  mounted,  and 
rode  hastily  away;  and  thus  all  the  wagons, 
artillery,  stores,  and  provisions  were  left  behind 
for  the  enemy. 

General  Braddock  was  wounded,  and  brought 
away  after  much  trouble  and  risk.  His  secretary 
was  killed  at  his  side;  and  out  of  eighty-six 
officers  sixty-three  were  killed  and  wounded.  Out 
of  the  eleven  hundred  men  who  had  been  picked 
from  the  whole  army  and  sent  forward, — the  re 
mainder  having  been  left  behind  to  follow  with 
the  heavier  portion  of  the  stores,  provisions,  and 
baggage, — seven  hundred  and  fourteen  were  killed ! 
The  survivors  fled  back  to  the  camp,  and  commu 
nicating  the  panic,  hastened  along  until  they 
reached  the  towns  and  cities  of  the  settlements 
again.  The  enemy  did  not  all  together  exceed 
four  hundred,  of  French  and  Indians;  yet  the 
whole  body  of  the  English  troops  fled  in  affright, 
though  they  numbered  over  a  thousand.  They 
ought  to  have  hurried  back,  and  tried  to  recover 


216  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

their  lost  advantages ;  instead  of  thai,  all  the  re 
maining  stores  were  destroyed  by  them  where  they 
were,  and  the  troops  went  on,  in  spite  of  the  re 
quests  of  the  Governors  of  Maryland,  Virginia, 
and  Pennsylvania  that  they  should  post  themselves 
on  the  frontiers,  not  resting  until  the  officers 
arrived  safely  in  Philadelphia.  The  Americans 
had  a  much  smaller  opinion  of  the  British  regulars, 
after  that,  than  even  the  regulars  had  of  them. 

General  Braddock,  after  being  brought  off  the 
field,  was  entirely  silent  the  first  day,  and  did  not 
speak  until  night;  then  he  said — "Who  would 
have  thought  it?"  All  the  next  day,  too,  he  was 
speechless ;  and  at  the  last  he  merely  said — "  We 
shall  know  how  to  deal  with  them  another  time," — 
and  died  a  few  minutes  after. 

The  owners  of  the  wagons  and  horses,  as  soon 
as  it  was  known  that  all  were  lost,  came  upon 
Franklin  for  their  value,  although  the  same  were 
only  hired,  not  bought,  for  the  use  of  the  army. 
He  had  a  good  deal  of  trouble  with  them,  and  was 
much  perplexed  with  lawsuits.  Commissioners 
were,  after  a  time,  appointed  to  examine  the 
accounts,  and  to  pay  them.  Had  Franklin 
been  forced  to  pay  them,  it  would  have  ruined 
him. 


AS   A   MILITARY   MAN.  217 

Some  persons  in  Philadelphia  tried  to  get  up  a 
plan  for  a  grand  display  of  fireworks,  to  be  let  off 
as  soon  as  the  capture  of  Fort  Duquesne  should  be 
made  known.  Franklin  dissuaded  them  from  it, 
for  reasons  which  he  gave  them,  and  saved  them 
from  much  mortification. 

Franklin  was  very  active,  at  this  time  and  sub 
sequently,  in  organizing  a  volunteer  militia,  and 
had  carried  a  bill  in  aid  of  the  measure  through 
the  House,  leaving  the  Quakers  at  liberty  to  enlist 
or  not.  He  wrote  an  imaginary  dialogue  on  the 
matter,  bringing  forward  all  the  objections  he 
could  to  the  measure,  and  answering  them 
again. 

The  Governor,  Morris,  prevailed  on  him  to  take 
charge  of  the  northwest  frontier,  where  the  enemy 
swarmed  in  great  numbers,  and  to  construct  a  line 
of  forts  there,  and  raise  a  sufficient  number  of 
troops.  He  soon  got  together  between  five  and 
six  hundred  men.  His  son  was  his  aid-de-camp, 
who  had  served  in  the  preceding  war  against 
Canada,  and  by  his  experience  in  the  field  was  of 
great  use  to  his  father.  The  Indians  had  burned 
a  Moravian  village,  called  Guadenhutten,  and 
slaughtered  all  the  inhabitants ;  but  as  it  was 
thought  to  be  a  good  place  for  erecting  one  of  his 

19 


218  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

forts,  he  assembled  his  companies  at  Bethlehem, 
which  was  the  chief  settlement  of  the  Moravians, 
designing  to  march  thither.  The  people  of  that 
village  were  all  in  arms,  and  ready  for  the  Indians. 
They  helped  Franklin  in  getting  off  his  expe 
dition,  supplying  him  with  wagons,  stores,  and 
cattle. 

He  divided  his  force  into  three  parts,  sending 
one  to  the  upper,  and  another  to  the  lower  waters 
of  the  Minisink,  while  he  went  himself  with  the 
third  to  Guadenhutten.  He  had  marched  hut  a 
few  miles,  when  a  rain  set  in.  There  were  no 
houses  for  a  long  distance,  and  they  found  no 
shelter  until  they  came  to  the  barn  of  a  German 
farmer,  into  which  they  all  huddled,  tired  and 
thoroughly  wet.  They  could  not  have  defended 
themselves  with  any  effectiveness  had  they  been 
attacked ;  for  their  guns  were  good  for  but  little, 
and  the  men  could  not  keep  the  locks  dry,  either. 
A  party  of  eleven  farmers  who  had  borrowed  guns 
of  them  to  go  back  and  recover  cattle  which  the 
Indians  had  stolen,  were  killed  with  one  excep 
tion.  The  one  who  escaped  came  back  and  told 
that  they  could  not  fire  off  their  guns,  because  the 
priming  was  wet. 

They  reached  Guadenhutten  the  next  day,  and 


AS   A    MILITARY   MAN.  219 

constructed  a  hut  for  shelter,  the  first  thing.  They 
did  not  carry  tents,  as  troops  on  the  march  do 
now.  They  next  buried  the  dead  farmers,  their 
"bodies  not  having  been  properly  interred  by  the 
frightened  people  of  the  settlement.  On  the  next 
morning  the  fort  was  planned  and  marked  out. 
It  was  to  be  four  hundred  and  fifty-five  feet  in 
circumference,  and  defended  with  palisades,  each 
a  foot  in  diameter.  The  men  fell  to  chopping 
trees  for  this  purpose  with  great  zeal.  A  pine 
of  fourteen  inches  in  diameter  two  men  would  fell 
in  six  minutes.  A  trench  was  dug  all  around  the 
fort,  three  feet  deep,  into  which  the  palisades  were 
planted.  They  took  the  wagon-bodies  from  the 
wheels,  and  used  the  latter  to  draw  the  palisades 
from  the  woods ;  each  wagon  thus  furnishing  four 
wheels,  they  had  twice  as  many  carriages  as  they 
otherwise  would. 

The  palisades  were  set  up  strongly,  and  a  plat 
form  erected  all  around  them  for  the  garrison  to 
stand  upon  and  fire  at  the  Indians  through  the 
loop-holes.  A  swivel  was  mounted,  which  they 
discharged  forthwith,  to  let  the  savages  know  what 
they  might  expect  if  they  came  too  near.  The 
fort  was  completed  in  a  week,  although  it  rained 
hard  every  other  day.  The  men  were  kept  so  close 


220  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

at  work,  they  had  no  time  to  be  discontented. 
This  reminded  Franklin  of  an  old  sea  captain,  who 
gave  orders,  when  his  hands  were  out  of  work, 
that  they  should  scour  the  anchor. 

By-and-bye,  they  took  courage  from  seeing  no 
Indians,  and  made  excursions  for  some  distance 
outside.  They  found  where  the  Indians  had  con 
cealed  themselves  to  watch  their  proceedings,  on 
the  neighboring  hills.  Franklin  speaks  of  the 
ingenuity  of  the  Indians  in  building  their  fires  so 
as  to  keep  their  feet  warm,  yet  so  as  not  to  betray 
themselves  to  the  people  in  the  fort. 

His  chaplain  complained  to  him  that  the  men 
could  not  be  made  to  attend  prayers  daily.  As  a 
gill  of  rum  was  furnished  them  with  their  regular 
rations,  Franklin  advised  him  to  give  out  that  the 
rum  would  be  distributed  right  after  prayers.  He 
acted  on  the  advice,  and  had  no  more  trouble  with 
inattention  to  worship.  Hardly  had  Franklin  got 
the  fort  stored  with  provisions  when  the  Governor 
summoned  him  home  to  attend  a  session  of  the 
Assembly.  His  friends  also  wrote  pressing  letters 
for  his  return.  He  had  completed  three  forts,  and, 
as  the  people  of  the  region  were  contented  to  re 
main  on  their  farms  under  protection  of  these 
forts,  he  resolved  to  return.  Colonel  Clapham,  of 


AS   A   MILITARY  MAN.  221 

New  England,  took  command,  and  Franklin  gave 
him  a  commission.  The  soldiers  escorted  him 
back  as  far  as  Bethlehem,  where  he  slept  in  a  bed 
for  the  first  time  since  he  had  been  gone.  He  said 
he  could  hardly  go  to  sleep,  the  first  night,  it  was 
so  different  from  his  hard  lodging  on  the  floor  of  a 
hut,  with  only  a  blanket  or  two.  He  made  many 
inquiries  about  the  customs  of  the  Moravians, 
during  the  few  days  he  stayed  at  Bethlehem, 
showing  that  his  active  mind  was  ever  awake  to 
the  acquisition  of  knowledge. 

"When  he  got  back  to  Philadelphia,  he  found 
the  volunteer  soldiery  movement  going  on  as  well 
as .  he  could  have  wished.  The  officers  of  the 
several  companies  met  and  elected  Franklin  their 
Colonel,  which  office  he  accepted,  this  time.  Thus 
he  became,  for  a  brief  period,  Colonel  Franklin. 
He  was  at  the  head  of  about  twelve  hundred  men, 
including  a  company  of  artillerymen  with  six  brass 
field  pieces ;  they  had  become  so  expert  as  to  be 
able  to  fire  them  at  the  rate  of  twelve  times  a 
minute.  When  Colonel  Franklin  reviewed  his 
regiment  for  the  first  time,  they  marched  with  him 
to  the  door  of  his  house,  and  insisted  on  firing  a 
salute  in  his  honor.  The  discharges  knocked 
down  several  pieces  of  his  delicate  electrical  appa- 

19* 


222  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

ratus;  and  he  moralized,  upon  this  occurrence, 
that  his  newly  found  honors  were  scarcely  less 
brittle.  He  had  occasion  to  make  a  journey  into 
Virginia,  soon  after,  and  the  officers  of  his  regi 
ment  took  it  into  their  heads  that  it  would  be  a 
good  idea  to  escort  their  Colonel  out  of  town. 
Thirty  or  forty  of  them,  in  uniform  and  on  horse 
back,  rode  up  to  his  door  just  as  he  was  about 
getting  upon  his  own  horse,  astonishing  him  with 
their  appearance.  He  felt  a  little  "flat"  when  he 
saw  what  they  would  do,  but  could  not  stop  them. 
Some  busybody  wrote  an  account  of  it  to  the 
Proprietor,  who  felt  exceedingly  wroth  over  it, 
declaring  that  no  such  honor  had  ever  been  paid 
to  himself  while  in  the  province,  nor  even  to  the 
Governor ;  and  that  it  was  due  to  no  less  a  person 
than  the  prince  royal.  A  great  deal  of  bad  blood 
was  excited  against  Franklin  in  the  heart  of  the 
Proprietor,  who  brought  charges  against  him 
before  the  ministry,  and,  among  them,  that  he 
alone  stood  in  the  way  of  the  king's  service  in 
Pennsylvania.  He  likewise  tried  to  influence 
the  Postmaster-General  to  deprive  him  of  his 
office.  * 

The   Governor  seriously  proposed  to  Franklin 
that  he  should  set  out  with  a  second  expedition 


AS   A  MILITARY   MAN.  223 

against  Fort  Duquesne,  after  Braddock's  defeat, 
and  would  have  commissioned  him  a  General ;  but 
Franklin  had  a  poor  opinion  of  his  own  military 
abilities,  and  did  not  accept  an  offer  with  which 
so  many  men  would  feel  flattered.  He  thought 
he  knew  better  of  his  own  capacities  than  the 
Governor  could  know  for  him. 


224  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  X. 

FIRST   FIVE   YEARS   IN   EUROPE, 

WHEN"  Governor  Denny,  the  new  Gov 
ernor,  came  over  from  England,  he 
brought  with  him  the  medal  which  the 
Iioyal  Society  had  voted  to  present  Franklin,  and 
bestowed  it  on  him  at  a  public  entertainment 
which  the  city  gave  the  Governor  by  way  of  wel 
come.  He  told  Franklin  in  private  that  he  had 
been  urged  in  London  to  make  his  acquaintance 
on  his  arrival,  and  to  seek  his  advice.  And  he  had 
much  to  say  to  him  about  cultivating  harmony 
between  the  Proprietor  and  the  Province,  hoping 
that  all  former  disputes  with  the  Assembly  would 
be  dropped,  and  that  he  would  readily  lend  his 
own  influence  to  that  end.  They  had  this  private 
talk  in  another  room,  while  the  company  were  at 
the  table ;  and  as  they  remained  a  long  time,  some 
of  those  present  sent  out  to  them  a  decanter  of 


FIRST   FIVE   YEARS  IN   EUROPE.  225 

Madeira,  which  Franklin  said  the  Governor  par 
took  liberally  of,  and  piled  up  promises  and 
pledges  as  fast  as  he  tossed  off  bumpers  of  the 
wine. 

Franklin  made  answer  to  his  proposals  in  a  spirit 
of  perfect  independence;  telling  him  that  his 
means  placed  him  above  the  necessity  of  depend 
ing  on  the  favors  of  proprietaries,  and  that,  as  a 
member  of  the  Assembly,  he  could  not  accept  any 
such;  that  he  never  need  fear  his  opposition  to 
his  measures,  provided  they  were  calculated  to 
benefit  the  people;  and  that  he  thanked  the 
Governor  for  his  expressions  of  regard  for  him, 
and  would  do  as  much  as  he  could  to  make  his 
administration  easy,  if  he  did  not  bring  over  with 
him  instructions  similar  to  the  odious  ones  of  his 
predecessor. 

On  the  assemblage  of  the  Legislature,  however, 
owing  to  the  Governor's  instructions  which  he  had 
brought  with  him  from  England,  a  war  broke  out 
between  him  and  that  body  without  much  delay ; 
and  Franklin  took  an  active  part  in  the  opposition, 
as  he  had  done  before.  Still  the  Governor  and  he 
had  no  quarrel  personally.  They  often  went  to 
gether,  and,  as  he  was  both  a  man  of  letters  and 
a  man  of  the  world,  his  conversation  was  pleasing 


226  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

and  instructive.  Among  other  items  of  intelli 
gence  which  he  brought  to  Franklin,  he  told  him 
that  his  old  friend  Ealph  was  still  living,  and  that 
he  was  then  considered  one  of  the  best  political 
writers  in  England ;  he  had  taken  part  in  the  dis 
pute  between  Prince  Frederick  and  the  king,  and 
enjoyed  a  pension  of  three  hundred  pounds  a  year. 
His  fame  as  a  poet,  however,  was  small,  and  Pope 
had  ridiculed  him  in  the  Dunciad ;  but  his  prose 
was  as  good  as  any  man's. 

At  this  point  of  time,  Franklin  appears  as  the 
colonial  agent — first  of  Pennsylvania,  and  after 
wards  of  other  colonies, — in  England.  It  was  a 
work  that  engrossed  many  of  the  best  years  of  his 
life,  giving  him  opportunities  for  employing  his 
natural  talents  for  diplomacy  to  the  best  advantage. 
All  his  previous  life  was  but  a  preparation  for  this 
which  was  to  come.  He  had  amassed  what  might 
be  thought  a  sufficient  fortune,  and  his  fame  as  a 
philosopher  and  discoverer  had  gone  before  him 
over  Europe.  His  experience  as  a  legislator  was 
calculated  to  stand  him  in  good  stead  before  the 
parliaments  of  the  old  world;  while  his  minute 
knowledge  of  colonial  affairs,  of  the  conduct  and 
character  of  the  Indians  on  the  frontier,  and  of  the 
real  ability  of  the  men  of  his  own  country  as 


FIRST  FIVE  YEARS   IN   EUROPE.  227 

material  for  war,  was  of  the  first  consequence  to 
him  in  the  turmoil  of  the  events  he  was  sum 
moned  to  pass  through. 

Owing  to  the  continued  troubles  between  the 
Assembly  and  the  proprietaries,  and  the  persist 
ency  with  which  the  latter  sought  to  cripple  the 
free  action  of  the  people  of  the  province  in  all 
matters,  the  latter  determined  to  petition  the  king 
directly  against  their  would-be  tyrants,  and  ap 
pointed  Franklin  their  agent  to  go  to  England  to 
present  the  petition.  It  appears  that  the  House 
had  passed  a  bill,  and  sent  it  to  the  Governor  for 
his  signature,  granting  sixty  thousand  pounds  for 
the  king's  use,  and  ten  thousand  of  it  subject  to 
the  orders  of  Lord  Loudoun,  then  General.  The 
Governor  refused  absolutely  to  let  the  bill  become 
a  law. 

Franklin  engaged  his  passage  to  London  with 
Captain  Morris,  who  sailed  a  packet  out  of  New 
York,  and  sent  all  his  stores  for  the  passage  on 
board.  A  sea  voyage  was  a  very  different  affair, 
it  need  not  be  said,  from  what  it  is  now.  Just  as  he 
was  leaving,  Lord  Loudoun  arrived  in  Philadel 
phia,  on  purpose  to  try  and  bring  about  a  recon 
ciliation  between  the  Assembly  and  the  Governor, 
so  that  His  Majesty's  service  might  not  suffer 


228  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

harm  from  their  differences.  He  made  an  appoint 
ment  for  the  Governor  and  himself  to  meet  him 
on  the  subject.  They  came  together,  and  went 
over  the  merits  of  the  case.  Franklin  urged  the 
side  he  had  always  taken  before  the  Assembly; 
while  the  Governor  argued  for  the  binding  cha 
racter  of  his  instructions,  and  showed  that  hia 
ruin  would  follow  their  disobedience;  yet  he 
showed  that  he  might  consent  to  disregard  them 
if  he  could  but  receive  orders  to  that  effect  from 
Lord  Loudoun.  The  latter,  however,  scarcely 
dared  give  his  consent,  and  he  finally  went  so  far 
over  to  the  views  of  the  Governor  as  to  tell 
Franklin  that  he  would  better  use  all  his  influence 
with  the  Assembly  to  provide  for  the  defence  of 
the  frontier  themselves,  for,  as  for  himself,  he 
would  not  consent  to  spare  a  single  one  of  the 
king's  troops  for  that  purpose. 

The  matter  was  soon  after  arranged  by  Franklin 
between  the  Assembly  and  the  Governor,  and  he 
proceeded  on  his  voyage.  But,  on  arriving  in  New 
York,  he  found  that  the  packet  on  which  he  was 
to  go  had  sailed  with  all  his  stores.  He  thus  lost 
these,  receiving  in  return  nothing  but  the  thanks 
of  Loudoun,  while  the  latter  took  all  the  credit  of 
the  compromise  to  himself. 


FIRST    FIVE   YEARS    IN    EUROPE.  229 

Franklin  found  that  Lord  Loudoun  had  gone 
on  to  New  York  before  him.  He,  of  course,  had 
control  over  the  sailing  of  the  packets,  since  he 
was  to  send  dispatches  by  them  to  his  government. 
There  were  two  vessels  then  in  port,  one  of  which 
he  said  would  sail  very  soon.*  Franklin  wished 
him  to  name  the  day,  so  that  he  might  lose  as 
little  time  as  need  be.  His  lordship  told  him  she 
would  sail  the  Saturday  following ;  but  he  added, 
confidentially,  that  if  he  should  be  on  board  by 
the  Monday  morning  following,  it  would  be  time 
enough.  Franklin  was  hindered  by  the  ferry,  and 
did  not  reach  the  vessel  until  noon  of  Monday. 
When  he  arrived,  what  was  his  surprise  to  find 
that  she  would  not  sail  until  the  next  day  ! 

And  so  the  matter  went  on;  day  succeeding  day, 
and  still  the  vessel  not  ready  to  depart.  It  was  all 
owing  to  the  natural  indecision  of  Loudoun's 
character.  Franklin  came  to  New  York  to  take 
passage  about  the  first  of  April ;  it  was  very  near 
the  last  of  June  before  he  took  his  departure. 
The  General's  letters  were  always  to  be  ready  to 
morrow,  and  to-morrow;  but  one  packet  after  an 
other  arrived  and  wras  detained  by  his  orders, 
until  there  were  four  of  them  waiting  to  carry  his 
despatches  to  his  government.  The  merchants 

20 


230  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

were  in  a  fever  over  the  delay,  for  they  had  sent 
out  orders  by  the  vessels  for  their  autumn  goods, 
which  required  despatch  in  order  to  make  their 
trade  worth  any  thing  to  them.  They  were  anxious 
about  their  letters,  too,  and  were  subjected  to  the 
payment  of  heavy  rates  of  insurance  besides,  it 
being  war  time.  But  their  urgency  availed  nothing. 
Whoever  waited  on  his  lordship  to  see  what  was 
the  cause  of  the  delay,  found  him  at  his  desk, 
plunged  in  the  industrious  preparation  of  his 
despatches. 

All  the  passengers  who  were  to  sail  finally  went 
down  to  Sandy  Hook,  where  they  awaited  the 
movements  of  the  fleet ;  there  they  were  compelled 
to  remain  for  six  weeks,  using  up  their  sea  stores 
and  being  obliged  to  purchase  more.  The  fleet 
set  sail  at  length  for  Louisburg,  with  the  General 
on  board,  with  intent  to  reduce  and  capture  that 
place  ;  he  kept  the  several  packet  boats  dancing 
attendance  on  him  all  the  way,  to  be  ready  to  take 
his  despatches  when  he  should  have  made  them 
up.  In  this  way  he  compelled  them  to  hover  for 
five  days  around  the  fleet,  and  then  the  ship  on 
which  Franklin  was  received  permission  to  depart 
for  England.  The  other  packets  were  detained 
still  longer;  in  fact,  he  took  them  down  near 


FIRST  FIVE  YEARS   IN  EUROPE.  231 

Louisburg  with  him,  then  changed  his  mind  about 
attacking  the  place,  and  finally  turned  and  went 
back  to  New  York  again.  The  passengers  were 
incensed  to  a  high  degree,  and  swore  all  manner 
of  revenge  upon  him  for  such  treatment. 

When  Lord  Loudoun  was  first  sent  over  by  the 
ministry  to  take  charge  of  the  war  against  the 
French  and  Indians,  and  to  supersede  Gen.  Shir 
ley,  the  citizens  of  New  York  gave  him  an  enter 
tainment,  at  which  Shirley  was  himself  present. 
Franklin  was  invited  to  attend  likewise.  He 
chanced  to  be  placed  near  Gen.  Shirley,  whom  he 
observed  to  have  been  seated  in  a  very  low  chair, 
the  crowd  compelling  them  to  send  out  and  bor 
row  chairs.  Franklin  remarked  the  fact  to  the 
General,  saying — "  They  have  given  you  a  very 
low  seat."  "No  matter,  Mr.  Franklin,"  said  he, 
"  I  find  a  low  seat  the  easiest."  Loudoun's  foolish 
flourish  before  Louisburg,  which  resulted  in  no 
thing,  lost  the  country  Fort  George,  and  placed 
the  colonies  in  a  situation  of  greater  danger  than 
before. 

The  voyage  to  England  proved,  after  all,  to  be 
a  pleasant  one.  Franklin  amused  himself  with 
computations  respecting  the  speed  of  the  ship,  and 
experimental  calculations  of  the  best  mode  of  sail- 


232  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

ing  "her;  and  lie  afterwards  set  down  his  own  re 
flections  on  the  matter,  throwing  out  many  a  hint 
which  has,  since  his  day,  been  made  much  of  by 
builders  of  ships.  Their  vessel  was  several  times 
chased  by  French  privateers  during  the  passage, 
but  they  managed  to  outsail  everything  of  a  hos 
tile  character.  When  they  arrived  off  the  coast, 
they  came  frightfully  near  being  wrecked  on  the 
rocks  at  midnight,  owing  to  the  carelessness  of 
the  man  on  the  watch ;  but  by  the  great  skill  of 
the  captain,  who  was  roused  from  his  sleep  below, 
they  wore  round  the  rocks,  and  went  on  shore  at 
Falmouth  the  next  forenoon.  Franklin  had  his 
son  with  him,  and  set  out  forthwith  for  London, 
stopping  by  the  wray  only  to  see  Stonehenge,  on 
Salisbury  Plain,  and  some  antiquities  at  Wilton. 

He  arrived  in  London,  the  accredited  agent  of 
the  American  Colonies,  on  the  27th  of  July,  1757. 
He  was  in  his  fifty-second  year.  Thirty  years  be 
fore,  he  had  landed  there  under  very  different  cir 
cumstances  ;  now  he  came  bringing  with  him  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  all  at  home,  and  to  be 
welcomed  by  a  wide  European  fame,  which  had 
gone  before  him.  For  his  writings  and  discove 
ries  as  a  politician  and  a  philosopher,  he  was  most 
cordially  met  by  statesmen  and  men  of  scienca 


FIRST    FIVE   YEARS    IN    EUROPE.  233 

fie  received  attention  and  respect  at  the  hands  of 
ail  men.  He  was  already  a  member  of  the  lioyal 
Society,  which  was  a  sufficient  passport  into  the 
best  circles.  Peter  Collinson,  another  member  of 
that  society,  who  had  been  his  correspondent  for 
some  time  in  England,  invited  him  to  his  house, 
where  he  remained  until  he  took  lodgings  a  few 
doors  from  the  Strand,  at  Mrs.  Stevenson's.  Some 
of  his  Pennsylvania  friends  had  recommended  this 
lady's  house  to  him  as  an  excellent  place  to  board, 
and  he  continued  there  during  the  whole  of  his 
stay  in  England,  which  was  fifteen  years.  He  be 
came  greatly  attached  to  the  family,  and  speaks 
frequently  of  them  in  his  letters.  Some  of  his 
best  papers  on  philosophy  were  written  for  the 
instruction  of  his  landlady's  daughter,  Miss  Mary 
Stevenson,  who  early  attracted  him  by  her  inquir 
ing  mind  and  habits  of  study. 

Among  the  acquaintances  of  former  days  and 
other  places  which  he  renewed  in  London,  was 
that  6f  Gov.  Shirley,  once  of  Massachusetts ;  they 
were  at  once  intimate  again.  But  the  most  of  his 
new  friends  were  among  scientific  men  and  philoso 
phers,  his  taste  for  politics  being  kept  down  by 
his  fondness  for  studies  in  philosophy.  As  soon 
as  his  arrival  in  England  was  known,  letters  came 

20* 


234  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

to  him  from  all  over  the  continent,  written  by  men 
distinguished  in  the  walks  of  science,  testifying 
their  respect  and  admiration  both  for  himself  and 
his  attainments. 

His  first  misfortune,  however,  after  his  arrival, 
was  to  be  prostrated  with  sickness,  which  kept 
him  at  home  for  nearly  two  months.  It  was  occa 
sioned  by  a  cold  and  a  fever,  producing  much 
pain  in  his  head,  and  frequently  delirium.  Before 
he  could  get  relief,  which  was  obtained  only 
by  cupping  and  the  free  use  of  Peruvian  bark, 
he  became  so  much  reduced  as  to  be  very  low 
indeed. 

When  he  did  get  out  again,  he  addressed  him 
self  first  of  all  to  the  business  on  which  he  had 
been  sent.  He  waited  on  the  Proprietaries,  and 
laid  before  them  the  instructions  with  which  he 
came  armed  from  the  Pennsylvania  Assembly.  The 
former  received  his  statements  in  a  bad  temper, 
refusing  to  do  in  any  wise  differently  from  what 
they  were  now  doing  by  the  Governors ;  they  held 
that  they  had  the  right  to  interpret  the  colonial 
charters  for  themselves,  and  to  send  out  instruc 
tions  for  the  Governors  accordingly.  Yet  they 
promised  to  consider  the  remonstrance  he  pre 
sented  Franklin  left  them  without  the  hope  of 


FIRST    FIVE   YEARS   IN   EUROPE.  235 

making  any  impression,  and  settled  it  in  his  mind 
to  appeal  very  soon  to  a  higher  tribunal. 

The  Proprietaries  in  question  were  two  sons  of 
the  famous  William  Penn, — Thomas  and  Richard 
Penn.  They  were  beforehand  with  Franklin,  and 
used  all  their  influence  to  throw  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  his  plan.  The  officers  of  the  Crown,  too, 
were  averse  to  his  design,  from  fear  of  a  diminu 
tion  of  the  prerogative  of  the  Crown ;  and  they 
were  the  ones  to  whom  the  whole  question  was  to 
be  finally  submitted.  Then  there  was  a  latent 
prejudice  against  the  Quakers  of  Pennsylvania  for 
being  so  backward  with  the  war,  and  for  even  op 
posing  it  altogether.  The  papers  took  up  the 
story  also,  and  labored  hard  to  excite  all  the  pre 
judice  possible  against  his  errand. 

He  waited  patiently  for  an  opportunity  to  stem 
the  torrent,  which  was  not  long  in  offering.  One 
of  the  newspapers  reported,  as  coming  through 
letters  from  Philadelphia,  that  the  Assembly  was 
doing  nothing  but  quarrel  with  the  Governor, 
while  the  Indians  swarmed  all  around  on  the  fron 
tier  ;  and  that  they  would  vote  no  money  for  relief 
except  on  such  conditions  that  the  Governor  could 
not  accept  it.  In  other  words,  the  Quakers  were 
charged  with  obstinately  standing  in  the  way  of 


236  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

all  progress.  Franklin  sent  a  letter  to  the  pub 
lisher  of  the  paper,  signed  by  his  son,  denying  the 
whole  of  it;  and  to  show  how  unfairly  he  was 
treated,  he  was  compelled  to  pay  for  the  insertion 
of  the  letter,  although  it  just  as  much  belonged 
to  the  printer  to  give  it  to  the  public  as  to  have 
published  the  original  charges.  That  letter  shed 
a  new  light  on  the  whole  subject  of  the  province 
of  Pennsylvania ;  and  as  for  the  opposition  of  the 
Quaker  population  to  a  defensive  war,  it  was 
shown  that  in  no  instance  had  they  permitted  their 
religious  principles  to  obstruct  measures  for  the 
protection  of  the  province.  It  proved,  also,  that 
the  Assembly  had  voted  more  than  a  half  million 
of  dollars  already,  since  the  war  began,  besides 
being  at  the  expense  of  erecting  forts,  raising  and 
equipping  soldiers,  fitting  out  a  ship-of-war  for 
cruising  off  the  coast,  and  setting  on'  foot  a  suc 
cessful  expedition  against  the  Indians;  and  laid 
down  the  proposition  that  the  Proprietaries  alone 
Btood  in  the  way  of  the  harmony  of  the  govern 
ment  and  the  happiness  of  the  people. 

But  no  impression  was  yet  made  by  Franklin. 
To  expedite  his  business  according  to  the  proper 
forms,  he  must  first  go  before  the  Board  of  Trade 
with  his  case,  who  would  in  turn  report  their 


FIRST    FIVE    YEARS    IN   EUROPE.  237 

opinion  to  the  Privy  Council.  If  lie  could  not 
succeed  "here,  he  meant  to  present  the  matter 
directly  to  Parliament.  European  politics  were 
so  mixed  at  this  time,  that  colonial  affairs  went 
begging  for  attention.  He  saw  how  much  longer 
he  was  likely  to  be  kept  from  home  than  he  had 
expected,  and  wrote  to  his  wife,  January  21st, 
1758, — "I  begin  to  think  I  shall  hardly  return  be 
fore  this  time  twelve  months.  I  am  for  doing 
effectually  what  I  came  about ;  and  I  find  it  re 
quires  both  time  and  patience."  He  found  much 
solace,  in  his  perplexing  delays,  in  the  society  and 
conversation  of  cultivated  men j  but,  after  all,  he 
writes  that,  "  at  this  time  of  life,  domestic  com 
forts  afford  the  most  solid  satisfaction,' and  my  un 
easiness  at  being  absent  from  my  family,  and  long 
ing  desire  to  be  with  them,  make  me  often  sigh  in 
the  midst  of  cheerful  company." 

He  relaxed  no  effort  to  push  the  business  along ; 
there  were  the  lawyers  on  his  own  side  to  supply 
with  the  facts  of  the  case,  and  smaller  items  to  be 
kept  constantly  in  mind.  For  a  whole  year,  how 
ever,  nothing  seemed  to  hav^e  been  done.  That 
first  summer  was  given  up  to  travelling  over  Eng 
land.  He  wTas  at  the  Commencement  at  Cam 
bridge  by  invitation,  where  he  was  received  with 


238  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

marked  attention  by  the  heads  of  the  University. 
He  hunted  out  the  town  where  his  father  was 
born,  and  excavated  all  the  traditions  possible  to 
be  had  respecting  his  ancestors;  consulting  the 
oldest  inhabitants,  parish  registers,  and  old  tomb 
stones.  He  found  the  daughter  of  his  father's 
eldest  brother,  a  lady  advanced  in  years.  His 
father's  native  town  was  Ecton  ;  and  there  had  his 
father,  grandfather,  and  great-grandfather  lived 
before  him.  The  old  home  place  was  a  decayed 
stone  building,  but  known  even  then  as  the 
"  Franklin  House." 

The  wife  of  the  parish  rector  told  him  a  great 
deal  about  his  family,  and  carried  him  out  into 
the  graveyard  and  pointed  out  several  of  the  grave 
stones,  which  were  so  covered  with  moss  that  she 
ordered  the  man  to  scrub  it  off  with  a  hard  brush 
and  a  basin  of  water. 

Going  to  Birmingham,  he  found  several  of  his 
wife's  relations.  When  he  returned  to  London 
from  his  tour,  his  passion  for  hunting  genealogies 
as  strong  as  before,  he  wrote  that  he  had  "found 
out  a  daughter  of  his  father's  only  sister,  very  old 
and  never  married;  a  good,  clever  woman,  but 
poor ;  though  vastly  contented  with  her  situation, 
and  very  cheerful."  All  his  relatives  were  in 


FIRST   FIVE    YEARS    IN   EUROPE.  239 

humble  life,  and  some  of  them  very  pcior ;  it  was 
his  pleasure  to  hunt  them  up,  claim  relationship, 
and  do  something  to  make  them  remember  him. 

The  papers  had  been  busy,  in  his  absence,  swell 
ing  the  current  of  popular  prejudice  against  his 
cause ;  and  he  was  advised  to  use  their  columns 
in  its  defence.  Accordingly,  early  in  the  follow 
ing  year  (1759),  he  came  out  with  a  carefully  pre 
pared  work,  entitled  the  "  Historical  Review  of 
Pennsylvania."  It  was  not  published  with  his 
name,  yet  he  received  all  the  abuse  it  called  forth. 
It  was  written  with  great  ability  and  clearness, 
and  was  a  complete  defence  of  the  Assembly  and 
people  of  Pennsylvania  against  the  assumptions 
of  the  Proprietaries.  In  giving  the  story  of  the 
politics  of  the  province,  he  reflected  with  much 
severity  upon  the  public  conduct  both  of  William 
Penn  and  his  descendants.  Through  all  the  attacks 
which  were  made  on  him  as  the  author  of  the 
work,  he  never  denied  that  he  did  write  it,  leav 
ing  others  to  infer  what  they  chose.  He  after 
wards  denied  it,  however,  in  a  letter  to  David 
Hume,  but  in  such  a  way  as  to  leave  no  doubt 
that  it  was  all  compiled  and  written  by  his  per 
sonal  direction. 

The  ministry  had  been  changed  just  before  his 


240  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

arrival  in  England,  Mr.  Pitt  being  made  Prime 
Minister.  Franklin  persistently  sought  an  intro 
duction  to  this  remarkable  man,  but  in  vain.  He 
afterwards  said,  in  alluding  to  this  difficulty,  that 
Mr.  Pitt  "  was  then  too  great  a  man,  or  too  much 
occupied  in  affairs  of  greater  moment."  Franklin 
interested  himself  deeply  in  the  politics  of  the 
time,  and  was  just  the  man  to  advise  the  ministry 
wisely  about  American  affairs.  Indeed,  it  was 
by  his  advice  that  the  conquest  of  Canada  was 
adopted  as  a  ministerial  measure,  and  successfully 
carried  out.  Though  he  could  not  get  the  ear  of 
Pitt,  yet  his  suggestions  made  Pitt's  ministry  a 
powerful  and  brilliant  one;  for,  in  obedience  to 
them  Wolfe  won  his  famous  victory  at  Quebec, 
immortalizing  his  own  name  and  perpetuating  the 
power  of  his  country. 

In  after  years,  when  Pitt  was  the  "  great  Com 
moner,"  and  stood  up  in  Parliament  in  eloquent 
defence  of  the  liberties  of  the  colonies,  he  sought 
Franklin's  acquaintance,  relying  upon  him  for 
much  of  that  information  which  gave  his  speeches 
such  weight  and  so  much  of  their  power. 

Little  was  done  for  Pennsylvania  during  1759. 
A  new  Governor  was  sent  out  by  the  Proprietaries, 
— Mr.  Hamilton,  who  had  held  the  office  before, 


FIRST   FIVE  YEARS   IN   EUROPE.  241 

They  gave  him  their  explicit  instructions,  from 
which  he  vainly  tried,  before  leaving,  to  make 
them  deviate. 

That  summer  he  went  to  Scotland,  taking  his 
son  with  him.  Distinguished  men  in  that  country 
met  him  with  great  respect  and  cordiality,  and 
among  them  occur  such  names  as  those  of  Lord 
Kames,  David  Hume,  and  Dr.  Robertson.  He 
had  been  honored  with  the  title  of  LL.  D.,  some 
time  before,  by  the  University  of  St.  Andrews. 
He  wrote  afterwards  to  Lord  Kames,  alluding  to 
this  visit  and  the  pleasure  it  gave  him : — "  On  the 
whole,  I  must  say,  I  think  the  time  we  spent  there 
was  six  weeks  of  the  densest  happiness  I  have  met 
with  in  any  part  of  my  life."  So  strongly  was  he 
attracted  to  Scotland,  he  declared  that,  but  for  his 
connections  elsewhere,  it  would  be  just  the  coun 
try  he  would  like  of  all  others  to  live  in.  The 
"  freedom  of  the  city"  was  presented  him  while  in 
Edinburgh,  "as  a  mark" — to  quote  from  the 
record — "  of  the  affectionate  respect  which  the 
Magistrates  and  Council  have  for  a  gentleman, 
whose  amiable  character,  greatly  distinguished  for 
usefulness  to  the  society  which  he  belongs  to,  and 
love  to  all  mankind,  had  long  ago  reached  them 
across  the  Atlantic  Ocean." 
21 


212  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

It  consumed  three  years  to  finish  the  business 
on  which  he  had  come  to  England, — till  June, 
1760 ;  but  it  was  finally  settled  to  the  perfect  satis 
faction  of  Franklin  and  the  Assembly,  and  to  the 
great  disappointment  of  the  grasping  Proprieta 
ries.  The  famous  Lord  Mansfield  assisted  in 
drawing  up  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Trade, 
which  approved  of  the  act  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Assembly. 

The  war  with  France  was  now  coming  to  an 
end,  and  terms  of  peace  were  generally  talked  of 
among  the  public  men.  In  the  progress  of  the 
war,  which  was  but  a  struggle  between  the  two 
powers  for  the  control  of  the  American  continent, 
— England  had  wrested  from  France  Canada, 
Guadaloupe,  and  other  parts  of  the  West  and  East 
Indies,  and  Africa;  the  question  was,  what  and 
how  much  it  would  be  sound  policy  to  think  of 
holding.  Some  were  for  retaining  Canada,  and 
some  for  keeping  Guadaloupe.  Knowing  at  least 
as  much  as  any  of  them  about  the  controversy, 
Franklin  did  not  hesitate  to  take  a  part  in  it  him 
self,  and  to  measure  opinions  and  reasonings  with 
Buch  writers  as  Burke  and  the  Earl  of  Bath. 

He  put  forth  a  tract,  though  without  his  name, 
entitled  "The  Interest  of  Great  Britain  Con- 


FIRST   FIVE   YEARS   IN   EUROPE.  243 

Bidered ;"  and  argued  strongly  for  the  retention  of 
Canada.  He  had  urged  its  conquest  before,  and 
rejoiced  when  it  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
British  power.  His  views  on  this  subject  were 
those  of  a  statesman ;  for,  said  he,  "  if  we  keep  it 
(Canada),  all  the  country  from  the  St.  Lawrence 
to  the  Mississippi  will  in  another  century  be  filled 
with  British  people." 

The  pamphlet  produced  a  marked  impression, 
not  less  upon  the  public  mind  than  upon  the 
ministry.  Canada,  at  any  rate,  was  kept  fast. 

During  the  summer  of  1760,  according  to  his 
custom  while  he  lived  in  England,  he  travelled 
through  the  northern  part  of  England,  intending 
to  extend  his  tour  to  Scotland  and  Ireland ;  but 
he  returned  through  Cheshire  and  Wales  to  Bris 
tol  and  Bath.  He  found,  on  his  return,  that  the 
Pennsylvania  Assembly  had  placed  in  his  hands 
the  money  which  Parliament  had  paid  back  to 
that  province  and  Delaware,  for  their  outlays 
during  the  war, — a  sum  amounting  to  some  thirty 
thousand  pounds  for  the  first  year;  this  he  was 
requested  to  invest  in  the  public  stocks,  and  other 
wise.  By  his  management  of  this  responsible 
business  he  gave  the  utmost  satisfaction  to  hit 
constituents.  The  Governor  and  Proprietaries 


244  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

both  labored  to  prevent  his  being  appointed  to  do 
this  work,  but  the  Assembly  persisted,  maintain 
ing  its  confidence  in  him  throughout. 

The  next  summer  (1761),  he  passed  over  to  the 
continent;  and  then  began  a  new  epoch  in  his 
public  life.  He  visited  all  the  chief  cities  and 
towns  of  Holland  and  Flanders,  and  stored  his 
mind  with  hints  that  would  be  of  use  to  him  in  the 
future.  His  studies  were  naturally  interrupted  by 
these  changes ;  yet  he  was  always  eager  to  perform 
philosophical  experiments  whenever  he  could  do 
so.  One  of  his  experiments,  at  this  time,  was 
upon  the  very  peculiar  properties  said  to  exist  in 
a  stone  called  tourmalin  ;  and  another  was  to  prove 
the  theory,  then  just  started,  that  cold  could  be 
produced  by  evaporation.  His  experiments  in  re 
lation  to  the  latter  were  of  remarkable  interest. 
He  showed,  from  them,  how  it  was  possible  for  a 
man  to  freeze  to  death  in  a  hot  day  of  summer. 
On  the  principle  of  evaporation,  too,  he- explained 
why  one's  body  is  never  heated  above  ninety  de 
grees,  let  the  heat  around  him  be  as  great  as  it 
may.  He  paid  a  visit  to  the  salt  mines  of  England, 
on  his  return  to  that  country,  and  threw  out  many 
interesting  and  original  suggestions  on  the  cause 
of  the  salt  in  the  sea ;  it  was  his  own  opinion,  and 


FIRST   FIVE  YEARS   IN   EUROPE.  245 

contrary  to  the  general  one,  that  all  the  water  on 
the  globe  was  salt  at  first,  and  that  the  fresh  water 
to  be  found  in  the  springs  and  rivers  was  the  result 
of  distillation.  As  for  the  rock  salt  found  in 
mines,  instead  of  imparting  its  own  qualities  to 
the  sea  he  thought  it  was  itself  drawn  from  the 
sea,  and  therefore  that  the  sea  is  fresher  to-day 
than  at  the  beginning. 

He  had  always  been  fond  of  music,  from  his 
youth  up,  and  he  pursued  it  as  a  science  as  well  as 
an  accomplishment.  He  furnished  critical  remarks 
on  the  old  Scotch  songs,  which  were  much  com 
mended  by  some  of  the  first  men  of  Scotland  as 
being  extremely  acute.  He  also  offered  some 
views  on  the  defects  of  modern  music,  supporting 
them  with  criticisms  on  one  of  the  compositions 
of  Handel. 

"When  in  London,  he  first  saw  the  famous  mu 
sical  glasses,  —  a  set  of  tumblers  which  gave  forth 
music  by  rubbing  the  wet  fingers  around  their 
rims.  The  invention  was  but  a  rude  one  then,  at 
best ;  it  was  necessary  first  to  arrange  the  glasses 
on  the  table,  and  to  tune  them  by  pouring  in 
water  until  the  right  note  was  obtained  for  each 
one  of  them.  Franklin  thought  he  could  improve 
on  this  contrivance,  and  made  the  attempt.  He 
21* 


246  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIIT. 

succeeded  in  making  a  compact  instrument  where 
were  several  parts  and  pieces  before,  and  in  en 
larging  the  compass  of  the  notes.  "When  complete, 
he  named  it  the  Armonica. 

It  was  a  hemisphere  in  shape,  with  a  socket  to 
fix  it  on  a  spindle.  The  glasses  were  then  arranged 
on  this  spindle  according  to  their  size,  the  tones 
corresponding  to  the  size  of  the  glasses.  Then  the 
spindle  was  fixed  in  a  case  horizontally,  and  turned 
by  a  wheel.  The  person  performing  on  it  applied 
his  wet  finger  to  the  glasses  as  they  turned  round. 
This  novel  instrument  became  very  popular  in  its 
day,  and  one  lady  went  to  the  principal  cities  of 
Europe  performing  on  it  in  public,  accompanying 
it  with  her  voice. 

Early  in  the  year  1762,  Franklin — now  formally 
recognized  as  DR.  Franklin, — made  ready  to  re 
turn  home.  He  was  strongly  urged  to  remain  in 
London  permanently,  and  send  for  his  family  to 
come  over;  and  a  friend  even  wrote  a  letter  to 
Mrs.  Franklin,  in  Philadelphia,  laboring  to  obtain 
her  consent.  But  she  resisted,  like  her  husband. 
His  services  were  already  spoken  for  by  another 
people,  soon  to  become  a  nation  by  themselves. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  he  would  have  bettered 
himself  pecuniarily  by  complying  with  the  request; 


FIRST   FIVE   YEARS    IN    EUROPE.  247 

but  he  was  already  looking  in  another  direction 
for  the  great  work  of  his  life. 

Edinburgh  and  Oxford  Universities  both  com 
plimented  him  with  the  title  of  Doctor  of  Laws, 
before  leaving.  Mr.  Hume  expressed  his  sincere 
regret  at  the  thought  of  losing  him  out  of  Eng 
land.  Said  he — "  America  has  sent  us  many  good 
things,  gold,  silver,  sugar,  tobacco,  indigo,  &c. ; 
but  you  are  the  first  philosopher,  and  indeed  the 
first  great  man  of  letters,  for  whom  we  are  be 
holden  to  her." 

He  was  jealously  watched  in  all  his  movements 
by  the  Proprietaries,  while  in  England ;  but  they 
acknowledged  that  they  found  no  cause  of  com 
plaint  in  his  conduct,  from  beginning  to  end.  He 
was  scrupulous  in  performing  the  duties  for  which 
he  had  been  sent  over,  yet  he  gave  no  occasion 
for  dissatisfaction  in  his  private  conduct. 

In  the  latter  part  of  August  he  set  sail  to  return, 
having  been  absent  from  home  a  little  more  than 
five  years.  He  addressed  a  letter  to  his  friend 
Lord  Kames,  of  Scotland,  on  the  eve  of  going  on 
shipboard,  declaring  that  he  could  not  leave  that 
happy  island  and  his  many  friends  in  it  without 
extreme  regret,  though  he  was  about  going  to  a 


248  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 

country  and  a  people  that  he  loved.  In  his  own 
words,  he  fancied  he  felt  "like  those  who  are 
leaving  this  world  for  the  next;  grief  at  the  part 
ing;  fear  of  the  passage;  hope  of  the  future." 
He  reached  his  home  in  Philadelphia  on  the  first 
of  November. 


FOREIGN  AGENT   OF  THE   COLONIES.  249 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FOREIGN  AGENT  OF  THE  COLONIES. 

HE  received,  on  his  return  home,  the  thanks 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Assembly,  and  the 
warm  congratulations  of  his  friends.     He 
had  been   elected  to   the   Assembly  every  year 
during  his  absence,  and  took  his  seat  immediately 
on  his  return.     The  public  thanks  were  voted  to 
him  for  his  eminent  services  to  America,  as  well 
as  to  Pennsylvania. 

His  private  affairs  needed  his  attention  sadly. 
As  Postmaster-General  for  the  colonies  still,  he 
travelled  for  five  months  of  1763,  as  far  as  New 
Hampshire  to  the  east,  making  a  journey  of  some 
sixteen  hundred  miles,  north  and  south.  His 
daughter  travelled  with  him,  he  driving  for  him 
self  in  a  light  carriage.  They  likewise  took  a 
saddle  horse  along  with  them,  which  his  daughter 
rode  from  Rhode  Island  to  Philadelphia.  He  was 


250  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

cordially  greeted  by  his  old  friends  in  NQW  York, 
Rhode  Island,  and  Boston. 

His  health  was  none  too  good  at  this  time, 
which  compelled  him  to  favor  himself  on  his 
journey  as  much  as  possible.  The  people  with 
whom  he  stopped,  too,  urged  him  to  eat  and  drink 
a  great  deal  more  than  he  wanted,  which  led  him 
to  write  his  sister  in  Boston,  after  reaching  home 
again, — "  I  am  (at  home)  allowed  to  know  when  I 
have  eat  and  drank  enough,  am  warm  enough,  and 
to  sit  in  a  place  that  I  like."  He  recovered  his 
health  in  due  time,  and  went  into  active  life  again. 

The  western  tribes  of  Indians  soon  banded  to 
gether  and  began  to  commit  barbarities  upon  the 
people  of  the  frontier  settlements,  especially  of  the 
Middle  States.  Troops  were  raised  to  repel  and 
punish  them  without  delay.  The  Assembly  of 
Pennsylvania  voted  money  and  appointed  com 
missioners  to  spend  it  for  war  purposes;  and 
Franklin  was  one  of  the  commissioners.  A  horrible 
massacre  of  inoffensive  and  friendly  Indians  oc 
curred,  and  a  regiment  of  men  was  raised  to  go 
out  from  Philadelphia  and  repel  the  further  ad 
vances  of  the  rioters.  Franklin  was  one  of  three 
or  four  to  address  them  on  behalf  of  the  Assembly. 
The  object  of  the  interview  was  gained,  but  none 


FOREIGN   AGENT   OF   THE   COLONIES.  251 

of  the  bloody  murderers  of  the  Indians  were  ever 
brought  to  punishment. 

John  Penn  was  sent  over  as  new  Governor,  in 
October,  1763.  He  addressed  the  Assembly  with 
fair  words,  which  for  a  time  promised  harmony 
between  them;  but  upon  that  body's  framing  a 
militia  law,  at  his  own  recommendation,  which 
reserved  to  the  several  companies  of  a  regiment 
the  power  to  choose  their  own  officers,  subject 
afterwards  to  the  Governor's  selection  from  their 
choice,  ill  feelings  sprang  up  again,  and  disputes 
of  a  larger  sort  soon  followed.  The  subject  of  a 
land-tax  came  up;  and  the  Governor  quarrelled 
with  the  Assembly  on  that.  The  object  of  this 
tax  was  as  a  basis,  or  security,  for  emitting  bills 
of  credit,  with  which  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the 
war  with  the  Indians.  The  borders  were  even 
then  threatened  by  the  savages,  and  rather  than 
give  up  safety  itself  the  Assembly  yielded  to  the 
Governor.  But  a  more  bitter  feeling  toward  him 
than  before  was  the  consequence. 

They  resolved  to  petition  the  king,  without  any 
further  delay,  that  he  would  take  the  government 
of  the  province  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Proprie 
taries  into  his  own.  Dr.  Franklin  came  forward 
with  one  of  his  effective  pamphlets  —  "Coo] 


252  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

Thoughts  on  the  Present  Situation  of  Public 
Affairs."  He  probed  the  matter  to  the  bottom, 
and  showed  the  necessity  of  changing  the  entire 
government,  so  that  the  proprietary  power  in  it 
should  cease.  After  a  vacation  of  seven  weeks, 
the  Assembly  met  again  (May  14th).  Petitions  to 
the  king  for  an  immediate  change  of  government 
came  in  from  all  quarters,  signed  by  more  than 
three  thousand  names.  The  House  took  a  vote, 
and  resolved  to  sustain  the  cause  of  the  petitions. 
Dr.  Franklin  drew  up  still  another  petition  to  the 
king,  on  behalf  of  the  House. 

The  subject  was  debated,  pro  and  con,  with 
much  feeling  and  spirit.  The  Speaker,  Mr.  Mor 
ris,  resigned  his  seat  rather  than  put  his  official 
signature  to  the  petition,  and  the  House  at  once 
elected  Dr.  Franklin  to  his  place.  He,  of  course, 
signed  it  without  delay.  The  famous  John  Dick 
inson  made  an  eloquent  speech  against  the  peti 
tion,  which  was  published,  with  a  severely  personal 
preface.  Another  member,  Galloway,  published 
his  speech  on  the  other  side,  to  which  a  preface 
full  of  humor  arid  sarcasm  was  contributed  by  Dr. 
Franklin.  After  a  great  deal  of  warm  argument, 
the  petitions  were  sent  over  to  the  provincial  agent 
in  London,  with  instructions  how  to  proceed. 


FOREIGN  AGENT  OF  THE  COLONIES.     253 

But  just  at  that  critical  time  happened  to  come 
up  in  the  Assembly  the  new  and  startling  proposal 
of  the  British  Ministry  to  raise  money  for  defray 
ing  the  expenses  of  the  late  war,  by  imposing 
stamp  duties  on  the  colonies.  The  news  caused 
great  excitement  all  over  the  country.  At  once 
the  Pennsylvania  Assembly  protested  against  the 
measure  through  their  London  agent.  Dr.  Frank 
lin,  as  Speaker,  signed  this  protest  as  the  last  act 
of  his  speakership. 

A  new  election  came  off  for  members  of  Assem 
bly  in  the  fall,  and  by  the  combination  of  all  the 
interests  on  the  other  side  Dr.  Franklin  was  de 
feated.  The  men  who  thought  to  have  their 
revenge  on  him  in  this  way  found  that  it  would 
have  been  more  for  their  interest  to  have  turned 
in  and  elected,  instead  of  defeating,  him;  for 
being  out  of  public  office  now,  for  the  first  time 
in  fourteen  years,  the  Assembly  surprised  his 
enemies  by  appointing  him  a  special  agent  to  the 
Court  of  Great  Britain,  to  take  charge  of  the 
petition  for  a  change  of  government,  and  to  look 
after  the  general  interests  of  the  province.  The 
chagrin  of  the  men  who  had  combined  to  defeat 
him  in  a  popular  election  exceeded  all  description; 
it  took  the  form  of  downright  rage. 

22 


254  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

There  was  no  money  in  the  treasury  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  a  special  agent,  and  it  was  voted 
to  provide  for  them  in  the  next  money  bill  that 
should  be  passed  by  the  Assembly.  A  few  mer 
chants  came  forward,  in  this  emergency,  and  in 
two  hours  raised  eleven  hundred  pounds,  which 
they  freely  loaned  to  the  public  for  this  purpose. 
Franklin  left  home  for  Europe  twelve  days  after 
he  received  the  new  appointment,  on  the  7th  of 
November,  1764,  escorted  to  Chester,  below  Phila 
delphia,  by  a  cavalcade  of  three  hundred  citizens. 
At  Chester  he  was  to  go  on  board  vessel.  The 
kind  feeling  shown  him  on  his  departure  overcame 
him :  he  prayed  that  Heaven  would  bless  his  dear 
friends  and  u  all  Pennsylvania."  The  vessel  being 
hindered  a  little,  he  took  occasion  to  write  back  a 
letter  of  advice  to  his  daughter,  suggesting  that 
she  should  not  give  his  political  enemies,  in  his 
absence,  any  cause  to  interpret  her  own  conduct 
to  his  prejudice,  and  to  be  very  circumspect  at  all 
times.  And  he  added — "  Go  to  church  constantly, 
whoever  preaches.  The  act  of  devotion  in  the 
Common  Prayer  Book  is  your  principal  business 
there,  and,  if  properly  attended  to,  will  do  more 
towards  amending  the  heart  than  sermons  gene 
rally  can  do."  Yet  he  would  not  have  her  despise 


FOREIGN  AGENT  OF  THE  COLONIES.     255 

the  sermons,  even  when  she  disliked  those  who 
preached  them ;  "for  the  discourse/'  said  he,  "is 
often  much  better  than  the  man,  as  sweet  and  clear 
waters  come  through  very  dirty  earth." 

He  went  on  shore  at  Portsmouth  after  a  voyage 
of  thirty  days,  whence  he  pushed  on  to  London 
without  delay,  and  took  lodgings  as  before  at  Mrs. 
Stevenson's.  "When  they  heard  in  Philadelphia 
of  his  safe  arrival  out,  they  rang  the  bells  for  joy. 

His  first  duty,  as  special  agent,  was  to  oppose 
the  passage  of  the  Stamp  Act  by  Parliament. 
The  father  of  the  scheme  was  George  Grenville, 
and  with  his  name  it  will  always  be  associated. 
The  colonists  denied  that  Parliament  had  any 
right  to  tax  them,  since  they  were  not  represented 
in  that  body ;  and  it  was  a  principle  of  the  British 
Constitution  that  no  man  should  be  taxed  save  by 
himself  or  his  representatives.  The  same  principle 
was  recognized  in  the  charters  which  were  given 
to  the  colonies.  It  was  argued,  on  our  side,  that 
Parliament  could  not  violate  it ;  but  the  Ministry 
had  gone  too  far  to  turn  back  now,  and  so  the 
Stamp  Act  was  passed,  though  protested  against 
by  the  colonies  and  opposed  by  their  agents  in 
London. 

Writing  home  on  the  event  to  Charles  Thomson, 


256  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

Franklin  said — "  Depend  upon  it,  my  good  neigh 
bor,  I  took  every  step  in  my  power  to  prevent  the 
passing  of  the  Stamp  Act.  Nobody  conld  be  more 
concerned  and  interested  than  myself  to  oppose  it 
sincerely  and  heartily.  But  the  tide  was  too 
strong  against  us.  The  nation  was  provoked  by 
American  claims  of  independence,  and  all  parties 
joined  by  resolving  in  this  act  to  settle  the  point. 
"We  might  as  well  have  hindered  the  sun's  setting. 
That  we  could  not  do.  But  since  it  is  done,  my 
friend,  and  it  may  be  long  before  it  rises  again, 
let  us  make  as  good  a  night  of  it  as  we  can.  "We 
may  still  light  candles.  Frugality  and  industry 
will  go  a  great  way  towards  indemnifying  us. 
Idleness  and  pride  tax  with  a  heavier  hand  than 
kings  and  Parliaments.  If  we  can  get  rid  of  the 
former,  we  may  easily  get  rid  of  the  latter." 

The  passage  of  the  Stamp  Act  produced  great 
excitement  in  America,  and  the  colonies  at  once 
instructed  their  agents  in  England  to  labor  for  its 
repeal.  The  men  who  had  been  appointed  to  dis 
tribute  the  stamps  were  treated  with  all  sorts  of 
indignities,  and  finally  compelled  to  resign  their 
posts.  None  of  the  stamped  paper  sent  over  was 
permitted  to  be  landed,  but  was  finally  sent  back 
again.  Early  the  next  year,  1766,  such  was  the 


FOREIGN   AGENT    OF   THE    COLONIES.  257 

opposition  to  the  measure  in  America,  the  subject 
came  up  before  Parliament  again.  Grenville  had 
been  displaced,  in  the  meantime,  by  the  Marquis 
of  Buckingham.  It  was  proposed  to  repeal  the 
act,  in  obedience  to  the  piles  of  petitions  from  the 
colonies.  The  proposal  drew  out  a  warm  discus 
sion,  during  which  Dr.  Franklin  was  summoned 
before  the  bar  of  the  House,  to  acquaint  that  body 
with  the  real  state  of  things  in  America. 

Both  sides  put  him  questions  freely,  and  he 
answered  impromptu.  He  did  not  know  before 
hand  what  questions  they  were  going  to  ask  him, 
and  he  could  not  therefore  prepare  his  answers; 
but  those  answers  could  not  have  been  more  hap 
py  and  effective.  The  impression  he  made  on  the 
mind  of  the  House  was  remarkable.  They  could 
not  fail  to  admire  his  perfect  self-possession,  his 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  matter  inquired  about, 
his  dignity,  and  the  propriety  of  his  phrases.  The 
members  knew  not  whether  to  be  lost  in  admira 
tion  or  astonishment.  It  was  a  remarkable  scene, 
and  has  always  been  recalled  as  perhaps  the  most 
memorable  in  Dr.  Franklin's  eventful  life.  They 
asked  him  if  the  Americans  would  pay  the  stamp 
duty  if  it  were  to  be  modified  somewhat :  "  No, 
never,"  said  he,  "  unless  compelled  by  force  of 

22* 


258  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

arms."  He  was  asked  how  they  would  receive 
another  tax:  "  Just  as  they  do  this,"  was  his  an 
swer, — "they  will  never  pay  it."  He  told  the 
House,  in  reply  to  other  questions,  that  his  coun 
trymen  would  never  buy  British  manufactured 
goods  again,  unless  this  act  was  repealed;  that 
they  would  never  grow  tired  of  non-importation  ; 
that  he  knew  them  as  well  as  any  one,  and  they 
had  materials  enough  for  their  wants,  and  the  in 
dustry  to  work  them  up ;  they  could  and  would 
make  their  own  clothes ;  it  was  once  their  pride 
to  indulge  in  the  fashions  and  manufactures  of 
Great  Britain,  but  it  was  their  glory  now  to  "  wear 
their  old  clothes  over  again  till  they  can  make 
new  ones." 

The  stamp  act  was  repealed,  after  a  long  and 
furious  debate ;  but  the  sting  was  left  behind,  in 
what  is  known  as  the  Declaratory  Act,  which 
affirmed  that  "  Parliament  had  a  right  to  bind  the 
colonies  in  all  cases  whatsoever."  This  operated 
to  cloud  the  satisfaction  which  the  repeal  of  the 
stamp  act  had  given  the  colonies.  Yet  they  made 
the  most  of  their  victory,  and  to  Franklin's  per 
sonal  influence  and  endeavors  was  it  chiefly  due. 
They  could  have  sent  to  England  on  their  business 


FOREIGN  AGENT  OF  THE  COLONIES.     259 

no  man,  who  would  have  done  for  them  what  he 
did. 

He  went  over  to  Germany  in  the  summer  of 
1766,  and  paid  a  visit  to  Gottingen,  among  other 
places.  The  Universities  took  up  much  of  his 
attention.  On  his  return  to  London,  he  bent  his 
energies  again  to  the  work  for  which  he  had  come 
over, — a  change  of  government  for  Pennsylvania ; 
but,  although  he  succeeded  in  engaging  the  seri 
ous  attention  of  the  ministry  in  his  plan,  nothing 
was  actually  done  in  consequence  chiefly  of  the 
unsettled  condition  of  affairs  in  the  colonies. 
When  the  -Revolution  came,  this  and  other  im 
portant  questions  finally  settled  themselves. 

The  nature  of  the  relation  of  the  colonies  to  the 
mother  country  next  engrossed  his  attention,  and 
he  began  to  write  upon  it  to  his  friends  in  Eng 
land  and  at  home.  What  he  wrote  here  had  great 
weight  with  minds  already  engaged  in  discussing 
the  same  topic.  He  agreed  that  the  union  might 
be  made  a  perfect  one,  if  the  colonies  were  allowed 
to  send  representatives  to  Parliament;  but  it  be 
longed  now  to  Parliament  to  propose  it.  "  The 
time  has  been,"  said  he,  u  when  the  colonies  might 
have  been  pleased  with  it;  they  are  now  indif- 


260  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

fereut  about  it ;  and,  if  it  is  much  longer  delayed, 
they  too  will  refuse  it." 

There  was  a  season  of  quiet  for  him  after  the 
repeal  of  the  stamp  act,  and  he  improved  it  for 
travel.  He  went  to  Paris  in  the  autumn  of  1767, 
in  company  with  his  friend  Sir  John  Pringle,  and 
took  letters  of  introduction  from  the  French  Am 
bassador  in  London  to  many  eminent  persons,  who 
received  him  with  cordial  respect  and  esteem.  He 
was  presented  to  the  King  and  the  Royal  Family. 
Men  of  science  greeted  him  warmly.  His  dis 
coveries  in  electricity  had  made  him  known  to 
them  several  years  before,  where  they  were  more 
truly  appreciated  than  in  any  other  portion  of 
Europe.  He  little  thought,  as  did  any  one  else, 
that  this  first  visit  to  Paris  was  to  prepare  the  way 
for  his  second  appearance  at  the  great  capital, 
where  he  was  to  perform  those  distinguished  ser 
vices  for  a  nation  which  would  treasure  his  name 
to  the  latest  generation. 

Mr.  Townshend,  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer, 
had  set  in  force  a  revenue  act  in  the  interval,  which 
had  given  great  cause  of  offence  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Massachusetts  more  particularly.  "When  he 
got  back  to  London  from  Paris,  news  came  of 
popular  disturbances  in  Boston.  They  disliked 


FOREIGN   AGENT   OF   THE    COLONIES.  261 

the  appointment  of  customs  commissioners,  and 
the  making  of  the  salaries  of  their  provincial  offi 
cers  dependent  on  the  Crown  instead  of,  as  before, 
on  the  Assembly  of  the  province.  The  people  of 
Boston  had  come  together  in  town  meeting,  and 
voted  resolves  of  high  spirit.  They  likewise  drew 
up  a  paper,  and  passed  it  around  among  the  in 
habitants,  pledging  themselves  each  to  the  other 
to  do  all  they  could  to  promote  industry  and  home 
manufactures,  and,  after  a  certain  time,  not  to  buy 
such  articles  as  were  named  in  the  paper  and  im 
ported  from  abroad.  The  friends  of  the  ministry 
looked  on  these  doings  as  little  less  than  rebellion ; 
while  the  friends  of  the  colonies  themselves  could 
find  no  ground  on  which  to  defend  them.  Dr. 
Franklin  stepped  in  with  another  of  his  timely 
publications  to  allay  the  excitement,  entitled 
"  Causes  of  the  American  Discontents  before 
1768."  This  he  handed  to  the  editor  of  the  Lon 
don  Chronicle  to  publish  in  that  paper;  but  the 
editor  took  the  edge  all  off  before  it  appeared, 
which  led  Franklin  to  say  that  the  man  had 
"  drawn  the  teeth  and  pared  the  nails"  of  his  arti 
cle,  so  that  it  could  "  neither  scratch  nor  bite." 
Yet  it  was  a  judicious  and  happy  effort  of  the 
American  agent,  and  did  much  good  in  showing 


262  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

that  the  discontents  in  Boston  were  only  the 
natural  result  of  the  treatment  of  the  colonies  for 
a  long  course  of  years. 

The  ministry  again  changed  in  1768,  Lord  Hills- 
borough  becoming  Secretary  of  State  for  America, 
— an  office  created  especially  for  the  care  of  the 
colonies.  His  control  over  American  affairs  was 
almost  entire.  He  was  upright  and  honest,  but 
opinionated  and  obstinate.  He  treated  Franklin 
with  much  civility  at  first,  holding  frequent  con 
versations  with  him  on  American  affairs ;  but  even 
then  Franklin  foretold  a  breach  between  the  two 
countries.  A  story  was  started  in  England,  at  the 
time,  and  repeated  by  his  political  enemies  in 
Pennsylvania,  that  Franklin  was  in  quest  of  an 
office  under  the  ministry,  for  which  he  was  even 
willing  to  sell  the  confidence  his  countrymen  had 
reposed  in  him ;  but  his  letters  about  that  time 
are  sufficient  to  stamp  such  rumors  with  the  mark 
of  falsehood.  His  friends  talked  of  his  being 
made  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  in  case  their 
form  of  government  was  changed ;  while  some  of 
the  most  influential  inhabitants  of  Massachusetts 
province  expressed  a  desire  that  he  should  succeed 
Sir  Francis  Bernard  as  their  Governor,  who  had 


FOREIGN   AGENT    OF   THE    COLONIES.  263 

done  little  but  give  them  trouble  from  the  begin 
ning. 

He  was  about  to  return  home  again,  his  own 
affairs  requiring  his  attention ;  and  he  felt  per 
suaded  that  his  presence  was  of  no  service,  since 
he  could  do  nothing  which  the  regular  agent 
could  not  as  well  do  without  him.  Just  then  he 
received  the  appointment  of  agent  for  the  colony 
of  Georgia ;  and  he  deemed  it  best  to  wait  for  the 
arrival  of  his  instructions.  This  delayed  him 
until  other  matters  crowded  in  to  prolong  his  stay 
much  beyond  all  his  calculations.  It  was  in  the 
fall  of  that  year  that  he  was  invited  to  dine,  with 
fifteen  other  gentlemen,  with  the  King  of  Den 
mark  who  was  then  in  London. 

He  never  lost  his  interest  in  his  philosophical 
inquiries  and  studies,  and,  among  other  sugges 
tions,  he  wrote  home  to  urge  the  colonists  to  plant 
mulberry  trees  and  raise  silkworms,  as  a  profitable 
branch  of  domestic  industry.  This,  perhaps,  was 
as  much  from  his  desire  that  his  countrymen 
should  produce  their  own  clothing  as  from  any 
other ;  for  he  repeatedly  addressed  them  in  favor 
of  holding  out  against  the  importation  or  use  of 
British  commodities.  As  the  petitions  of  the 
colonists  produced  no  effect  with  Parliament  or 


264  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 

the  ministry,  he  advised  them  to  prepare  to  sup 
port  themselves. 

Late  in  the  year,  he  received  the  agency  of  the 
New  Jersey  colony  also,  of  which  his  son  was  the 
Governor.  The  boundary  between  East  and  West 
Jersey  was  left  to  his  care,  with  other  matters. 
He  had  occasion,  just  at  that  time,  to  express  his 
views  upon  the  probability  of  the  colonies  becom 
ing  quiet  again ;  but  from  the  first  he  solemnly 
declared  that  nothing  would  satisfy  and  pacify  the 
people  of  America  but  a  clear  repeal  of  all  the 
laws  designed  to  collect  a  revenue  from  them 
without  their  consent. 

Parliament  took  the  matter  up  with  all  serious 
ness,  in  the  month  of  April,  1770.  The  ministry 
were  persuaded  of  the  determination  of  the  colo 
nies,  after  three  years'  holding  out,  to  withhold 
their  trade  as  long  as  the  new  revenue  laws  were 
on  the  books,  and  they  concluded  to  wipe  them 
all  out,  abolishing  taxes  of  every  sort  for  the 
Americans  except  a  tax  on  tea.  It  was  in  no 
sense,  however,  a  movement  for  redressing  the 
wrongs  of  which  the  colonists  complained ;  but  a 
stroke  of  commercial  policy  alone.  The  duty  on 
the  single  article  of  tea,  too,  was  calculated  to  let 


FOREIGN    AGENT    OF    THE    COLONIES.  265 

the  people  of  this  country  feel  that  Parliament  was 
still  supreme. 

The  effect  was  to  exasperate  and  arouse  the 
colonists  more  than  ever.  Dr.  Franklin  was  in 
continual  correspondence  with  the  home  govern 
ments,  and  with  his  friends,  and  some  of  his  let 
ters  were  secretly  obtained  and  sent  back  to  Eng 
land  to  the  ministers.  It  was  thrown  out  that  he 
would  lose  his  office  as  Postmaster-General,  in 
return  for  what  he  had  written  home  about  the 
ministry.  The  papers  abused  and  traduced  him, 
probably  hoping  to  force  him  to  resign ;  but  that 
he  would  not  do :  he  thought  that  as  he  had,  by 
close  attention  and  unwearied  industry,  made  the 
post-office  revenues  worth  what  they  were,  he 
would  fix  upon  the  ministry  the  odium  of  turning 
him  out  of  office,  and  not  relieve  them  voluntarily 
of  such  a  load  himself. 

As  these  letters  made  a  great  deal  of  talk  in 
their  day,  it  would  be  as  well  to  know  what  he 
had  to  say  about  their  authorship.  "  It  was  true," 
said  he,  "I  did  write  them,  and  they  were  written 
in  compliance  with  another  duty,  that  to  my  coun 
try  ;  a  duty  quite  distinct  from  that  of  Postmas 
ter."  He  said  that  he  had  behaved  in  this  matter 
just  as  he  did  a  few  years  before  on  a  similar  oc- 

23 


BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

easion,  when  the  ministry  were  "ready  to  hug" 
him  for  the  help  he  rendered  them.  Even  if  they 
did  remove  him  from  office,  he  would  not  there 
fore  change  his  political  opinions.  He  did  not 
hold  that,  because  he  held  an  office  under  the 
ministry,  he  was  obliged  to  act  with  the  ministry 
in  all  matters.  His  rule  was,  "  never  to  turn  aside 
in  public  affairs  through  views  of  private  interest ; 
but  to  go  straight  forward  in  doing  what  appears 
to  me  right  at  the  time,  leaving  the  consequences 
with  Providence." 

Massachusetts  likewise  appointed  him  her  agent, 
at  this  stage  of  affairs,  well  knowing  his  sentiments 
through  the  letters  which  were  written  by  him  to 
some  of  the  leading  men  of  the  province.  This 
appointment  nettled  Lord  Hillsborough  more  than 
all.  The  ministry  had  had  more  trouble,  thus  far, 
with  Massachusetts  than  with  any  other  colony ; 
aod  to  find  Franklin,  after  having  presented  the 
protests  of  several  of  the  other  colonies,  accredited 
as  the  agent  of  Massachusetts  likewise,  was  a  little 
too  much  for  their  temper.  Lord  Hillsborough 
broke  out  in  a  fit  of  anger,  when  Franklin  went 
to  present  his  credentials,  and  the  scene  became 
an  Interesting  one,  to  say  the  least.  He  denied 
the  fact  of  Franklin's  appointment  as  agent  at  all. 


FOREIGN   AGENT    OF   THE    COLONIES.  267 

Franklin  answered  him,  coolly  and  calmly,  that 
his  letters  had  been  brought  by  the  last  ships. 
Hillsboro ugh  denied  that  such  an  agency  could  be 
entrusted  to  any  man  without  the  assent  and  co 
operation  of  the  Governor ;  on  this  point,  Frank 
lin  took  issue,  showing  that  the  Colonial  Assem 
blies  always  had  appointed  such  agents  as  they 
chose,  and  without  asking  the  consent  or  caring 
for  the  opposition  of  any  royal  Governor  whatever. 
He  finally  handed  Hillsborough  the  proof  of 
his  appointment,  in  the  form  of  the  vote  of  the 
House  appointing  him,  saying  to  him  as  he  did  so 
— "  Will  your  Lordship  please  to  look  at  it  ?"  He 
took  the  paper,  but  did  not  deign  to  open  it; 
breaking  out  into  angry  declamation,  he  denounced 
the  whole  system  of  appointing  agents,  and  said 
that  he  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  one  of 
them  unless  they  were  regularly  appointed  and 
their  appointment  approved  by  the  Governor. 
And  after  more  talk  of  the  same  sort,  and  expos 
tulations  by  Franklin,  he  handed  back  the  latter 
his  papers  without  any  further  examination  of 
them.  It  was  very  rude  of  his  Lordship ;  but  it 
incited  Franklin  to  tell  him,  as  he  was  leaving  his 
presence,  that  it  was  of  little  consequence  whether 
the  appointment  was  recognized  by  him  or  not, 


268  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

for  he  was  persuaded  no  agent  whatever  could  be 
of  any  use  there  to  the  colonies. 

Dr.  Franklin  was  at  this  time  the  special  agent 
in  London  of  four  colonies,  and  he  was  closely  en 
gaged  with  their  affairs.  In  the  following  year, 
1771,  he  found  leisure  for  another  tour,  which  he 
made  in  England.  He  found  this  annual  recrea 
tion  necessary  for  the  preservation  of  his  health, 
which  was  beginning  to  suffer  somewhat  from  his 
excessive  confinement  to  business  when  in  Lon 
don.  He  went,  this  year,  to  Leeds,  to  Manchester, 
and  to  Litchfield,  at  each  of  which  places  he  met 
distinguished  men,  whom  he  assisted  about  their 
philosophical  experiments,  and  with  whom  he  was 
in  correspondence  on  scientific  studies  for  years 
afterward.  During  this  summer  tour,  he  went 
into  Wales,  Scotland,  and  Ireland ;  he  had  not 
been  in  the  last  named  country  before.  All  par 
ties  offered  him  most  respectful  welcome.  At 
Dublin  he  met  Lord  Hillsborough,  and  dined  with 
him  at  the  Lord  Lieutenant's.  Hillsborough 
pressed  him  to  stop  at  his  house  on  his  northward 
journey,  which  he  could  not  well  refuse.  He  spent 
four  days  there,  and  was  treated  with  surprising 
civility,  after  the  recent  scene  which  had  occurred 
between  them.  He  took  the  distinguished  Ameri- 


FOREIGN  AGENT  OF  THE  COLONIES.      269 

can  agent  out  to  ride  over  the  country  in  his  phae 
ton,  and  even  threw  his  own  overcoat  over  his 
shoulders,  lest  he  should  take  cold  from  exposure. 
Franklin  was  at  a  loss  how  to  explain  it. 

The  Irish  Parliament  received  him  with  honor, 
inviting  him  to  a  seat  within  the  bar.  In  Scotland 
he  renewed  his  old  friendships,  staying  with  Lord 
Kames  and  David  Hume.  He  felt  more  strongly 
attached  to  Scotland  and  its  people  than  ever.  He 
employed  his  influence  to  procure  from  Edinburgh 
University  honorary  degrees  for  Dr.  Cooper,  Presi 
dent  Stiles,  and  Professor  Winthrop,  of  Harvard 
College. 

He  met  his  son-in-law,  Richard  Bache,  on  his 
return  to  England,  never  having  seen  him  before, 
though  he  had  been  the  husband  of  his  daughter 
for  four  years ;  and  he  wrote  home  that  he  was 
much  pleased  with  him  and  his  connections.  He 
also  paid  a  visit  to  Dr.  Shipley,  Bishop  of  Asaph, 
for  whom  he  had  conceived  a  very  warm  friend 
ship,  and  whom  he  used  to  call  the  "good  Bishop." 
At  his  house,  he  began  the  composition  of  his 
autobiography,  which  he  never  finished.  His 
country  seat  was  in  Hampshire,  and  his  family- 
circle  exceedingly  attractive.  Franklin  continued 

23* 


270  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

to  correspond  with  the   Bishop  and   one  of  his 
daughters  as  long  as  they  both  lived. 

Even  then  he  seriously  thought  of  going  home 
again  to  Pennsylvania ;  he  was  grown  tired  and 
disgusted  with  the  delays  of  his  business,  and  be 
come  quite  willing  to  leave  a  position  full  of  an 
noyance  and  productive  of  no  sort  of  public  good. 
He  was  in  his  sixty-seventh  year  now,  and  wrote 
home  to  his  son  that  he  grew  homesick ;  he  was 
also  afraid  of  the  infirmities  of  age  coming  sud 
denly  upon  him,  so  as  to  prevent  his  returning  home 
altogether.  "  I  have  also,"  said  he,  "  some  im 
portant  affairs  to  settle  before  my  death,  a  period 
I  ought  now  to  think  cannot  be  far  distant."  He 
loved  his  friends  in  England  very  strongly,  and 
could  have  contented  himself  to  live  and  die  with 
them,  but  that  he  also  loved  so  well  the  country 
from  which  he  had  been  so  long  an  exile. 


STEPS  TO   THE   REVOLUTION.  271 


CHAPTER  XII. 

STEPS  TO   THE   REVOLUTION. 

LORD  HILLSBOROUGH  did  not  treat  Franklin 
very  handsomely,  after  his  return  to  London, 
notwithstanding  his  cordial  manner  at  his 
country  home;    he  refused   to   see  him   several 
times,  and  his  servant  once  used  insulting  language 
before  the  door,  while  Franklin  sat  waiting  in  the 
carriage.     He  never  called  on  his  lordship  again, 
but,  as  he  expressed  it,  "  we  have  only  abused  one 
another  at  a  distance." 

A  popular  controversy  sprung  up  on  the  rela 
tive  value  of  pointed  and  blunt  conductors,  about 
this  time,  in  which  Dr.  Franklin  necessarily  took 
a  part.  He  showed  the  public,  by  a  series  of  ex 
periments,  that  pointed  were  far  safer  than  the 
blunt,  because  they  insensibly  draw  the  electricity 
from  the  clouds,  while  the  latter  cannot  always 
carry  off  the  entire  amount  of  the  fluid  presenting 


272  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

itself,  which,  therefore  leads  to  an  explosion.  In 
the  height  of  the  discussion,  the  king  changed 
the  pointed  conductors  on  the  queen's  palace  for 
blunt  ones ;  but  Franklin  thought  that  settled 
nothing,  either  way.  So  far  as  he  was  himself 
concerned,  he  could  have  wished  that  he  would 
reject  them  altogether,  as  of  no  use;  "for,"  added 
he,  "  it  is  only  since  he  thought  himself  and  family 
safe  from  the  thunder  of  Heaven,  that  he  dared  to 
use  his  own  thunder  in  destroying  his  innocent 
subjects."  To  make  fun  of  the  whole  matter,  the 
following  epigram,  among  other  things,  was  pub 
lished  :  — 

"  While  you,  great  GEORGE,  for  safety  hunt, 
And  sharp  conductors  change  for  blunt, 

The  Empire's  out  of  joint ; 
Franklin  a  wiser  course  pursues, 
And  all  your  thunder  fearless  views, 

By  keeping  to  the  point." 

The  story  of  the  various  steps  that  led  to  the 
final  outbreak  between  the  inhabitants  of  the 
colonies  and  the  mother  country  is  too  long  to  be 
inserted  in  a  biography  of  this  kind ;  it  is  enough 
merely  to  sketch  the  part  which  Franklin  took  in 
the  various  proceedings  which  finally  culminated 
in  revolt  and  revolution. 


STEPS   TO   THE   REVOLUTION.  273 

Lord  Hillsborough  was  removed  from  the  charge 
of  the  American  Department,  and  Lord  Dartmouth 
appointed  in  his  place.  Franklin  handed  Lord 
Dartmouth,  at  their  first  interview,  a  petition  from 
the  Massachusetts  Assembly  to  the  king.  It  was 
respecting  their  Governor's  (Hutchinson)  receiving 
his  salary  from  the  Crown  instead  of  from  the 
people,  as  heretofore ;  a  practice  against  all  former 
custom,  and  bringing  into  contempt  the  ancient 
prerogative  of  the  Assembly.  Lord  Dartmouth 
advised  that  it  should  not  be  presented  to  the  king 
just  then,  on  account  of  former  irritation.  Dr. 
Franklin  showed  him  why  he  thought  the  present 
was  as  fit  as  any  other  time  for  the  purpose,  but 
concluded  at  last  not  to  press  the  matter,  but  to 
send  home  an  account  of  the  conversation  held 
between  them  upon  it. 

Next  came  news  to  the  people  of  Massachusetts 
that  the  salaries  of  the  Judges,  as  well  as  that  of 
the  Governor,  had  been  made  dependent  on  the 
Crown.  The  inhabitants  of  Boston  at  once  held 
a  town  meeting,  and  drew  up  a  strong  protest, 
asserting  that  it  was  but  another  link  in  the  chain 
which  was  forging  for  their  bondage.  They  voted 
that  copies  of  the  bold  and  energetic  resolutions 
which  were  passed  by  them  should  be  sent  to  all 


274  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

the  other  towns  in  the  province,  with  an  invitation 
to  them  to  hold  similar  meetings,  and  express 
their  sentiments  with  equal  freedom.  The  Massa 
chusetts  Governor  was  greatly  incensed  at  these 
proceedings  of  the  people,  and,  in  his  letters  to 
England,  laid  the  whole  blame  on  Franklin.  lie 
openly  charged  to  the  Ministry  that  these  claims 
of  the  colonies  "were  prepared  in  England  in  a 
more  full  manner  than  ever  before,  with  a  manifest 
design  and  tendency  to  revive  a  flame  which  was 
near  expiring."  He  also  charged  that  it  was  the 
design  to  make  a  stand  for  these  claims  in  Massa 
chusetts  first,  and  afterwards  in  the  other  colonies. 
Franklin  was  called  by  him  "  the  great  director  in 
England"  of  the  whole  plan. 

It  is  sufficient,  however,  to  offer  a  general  denial 
to  all  such  charges.  While  Hutchinson  was  making 
them,  the  friends  of  Franklin  were  complaining 
of  his  being  lukewarm  in  their  interest.  Still,  he 
held  fast  to  all  his  old  opinions  on  the  relations  of 
the  two  countries,  and  advised  the  colonies  not  to 
consent  to  part  with  a  single  right  that  belonged 
to  them.  But  he  probably  did  not  suit  all  the 
enthusiastic  ones,  by  reason  of  his  wise  modera 
tion  ;  he  always  proposed  to  them  to  make  haste 


STEPS   TO   THE   REVOLUTION.  275 

slowly,  knowing  that  events  must  work  with  them 
instead  of  against  them. 

He  republished  the  doings  of  the  people  of 
Boston,  as  soon  as  they  reached  him  in  London, 
and  wrote  a  preface  for  the  pamphlet.  The  temper 
of  his  own  production  made  friends  and  hearers 
for  the  rest  of  the  publication.  Pretty  soon  after, 
the  Massachusetts  Assembly  met  and  passed 
similar  resolutions,  which  they  forwarded  to  Dr. 
Franklin  to  present  to  the  king.  He  repaired  to 
Lord  Dartmouth  as  soon  as  he  received  them,  and 
told  him  the  case  would  admit  of  no  more  delay ; 
his  Lordship  promised  to  deliver  the  petition, 
therefore,  to  his  Majesty. 

Dr.  Franklin  not  only  wrote  and  published,  at 
this  time,  the  preface  to  the  doings  of  the  in 
habitants  of  Boston,  already  spoken  of,  but  like 
wise  a  couple  more  articles,  to  which,  however,  he 
did  not  put  his  name ;  they  caused  wide  remark, 
and  are  known  by  the  titles  of  "Rules  for  Re 
ducing  a  Great  Empire  to  a  Small  One,"  and  "An 
Edict  by  the  King  of  Prussia."  They  were  full 
of  dry  humor,  which  produced  more  effect  than 
could  have  been  secured  by  any  other  style  of 
composition.  In  the  summer  of  1773,  while  absent 
in  the  country  again,  he  beguiled  his  time  with 


276  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

abridging  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  of  which 
a  handsome  edition  was  printed,  though  it  never 
came  into  use. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1772,  he  had  pro 
cured  and  sent  to  Massachusetts  certain  letters 
which  were  written  by  Governor  Hutchinson  and 
Lieutenant-Governor  Oliver  of  that  province  to  a 
certain  member  of  Parliament.  They  were  private 
letters,  but  they  dealt  with  public  affairs  in  the 
colonies.  They  represented  that  all  the  troubles 
on  this  side  were  fomented  by  a  few  restless  and 
intriguing  spirits,  but  that  they  could  be  put  an 
end  to  by  employing  a  military  force  that  should 
overawe  these  leaders.  Franklin  sent  over  these 
very  important  letters  from  motives  of  the  purest 
patriotism,  believing  that  his  countrymen  should 
know  what  was  said.  He  said  himself  of  the 
letters,  when  he  forwarded  them — "I  am  not  at 
liberty  to  tell  through  what  channel  I  received  it 
(the  correspondence) ;  and  I  have  engaged  that  it 
should  not  be  printed,  nor  copies  taken  of  the 
whole  or  any  part  of  it ;  but  I  am  allowed  to  let 
it  be  seen  by  some  men  of  worth  in  the  province, 
for  their  satisfaction  only." 

Franklin  was  greatly  vilified  and  abused  in 
England  for  having  forwarded  these  letters  to 


STEPS   TO   THE   KEVOLUTION.  277 

America.  But  they  produced  the  effect  that  was 
intended.  They  were  handed  round  among  the 
first  men  of  Massachusetts,  and  Mr.  John  Adams, 
afterwards  President,  but  then  a  country  lawyer, 
carried  them  in  his  pocket  while  travelling  a  court 
circuit.  The  provincial  Assembly  passed  a  vote 
of  condemnation  upon  the  letters,  averring  that 
they  were  calculated  only  to  make  mischief  and 
sow  the  seeds  of  discord.  They  also  voted  to 
petition  the  king  for  the  instant  removal  of  both 
Hutchinson  and  Oliver.  Franklin  received  this 
petition  on  its  arrival ;  and  as  Lord  Dartmouth 
was  absent  at  the  time  in  the  country,  he  sent  it 
to  him.  It  was  soon  presented  to  the  king. 
Governor  Hutchinson's  letters  having  meantime 
been  published  in  Boston,  they  found  their  way  in 
type  very  soon  to  London.  The  discovery  of  their 
loss  from  the  papers  of  the  gentleman  to  whom 
they  were  originally  addressed  excited  suspicion 
against  a  certain  other  gentleman  who  alone  was 
known  to  have  been  permitted  access  to  them,  and 
a  duel  grew  out  of  it. 

At  this  juncture,  Dr.  Franklin  thought  it  neces 
sary  to  come  forward  with  his  own  statement. 
He  publicly  took  upon  himself  the  responsibility 
of  having  sent  the  obnoxious  letters  to  America, 

24 


278  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

which  he  did  merely  to  screen  an  innocent  gentle 
man  to  whom  suspicion  was  wrongly  directed ; 
and  the  natural  consequence  was  that  all  tongues 
and  pens  were  instantly  turned  against  him.  A 
chancery  suit  was  instituted  against  him  also,  but 
was  finally  abandoned. 

Presently  he  received  a  summons  to  appear 
before  the  Privy  Council,  who  were  considering 
the  Massachusetts  Assembly  petition  for  the  re 
moval  of  their  Governor  and  Lieutenant-Governor. 
The  petition  was  read  in  his  hearing,  and  then  he 
was  questioned  as  to  what  he  had  to  say  in  its 
favor.  After  some  conversation,  it  appeared  that 
Hutchinson  and  Oliver  had  engaged  counsel  to 
defend  them.  To  this  Franklin  objected,  saying 
that  he  did  not  understand  that  counsel  was  to  be 
employed  against  the  petition,  and  that  he  did  not 
conceive  any  point  of  law  involved  which  required 
a  lawyer's  arguments;  he  held  it,  rather,  to  be  "a 
question  of  civil  and  political  jurisprudence," 
which  could  readily  be  decided  by  the  facts  in 
hand.  As  the  Governor  and  Lieutenant-Governor 
had  counsel,  he  desired  that  the  Assembly  should 
have  counsel  likewise ;  to  procure  which,  and 
allow  time  for  preparation,  the  space  of  three 
weeks  was  granted. 


STEPS   TO   THE   REVOLUTION.  279 

All  sorts  of  stories  were  bi  uited  about  London 
in  relation  to  the  bluff  reception  Franklin  had 
met  with  before  the  Council,  and  to  the  way  the 
Solicitor-General,  who  was  the  counsel  for  Hutch- 
inson  and  Oliver,  had  treated  him.  Franklin 
engaged  two  distinguished  barristers  for  the 
Assembly.  The  result  of  the  hearing  was,  their 
Lordships  dismissed  the  petition,  characterizing  it 
as  "groundless,  vexatious,  and  scandalous,  and 
calculated  only  for  the  seditious  purpose  of  keep 
ing  up  a  spirit  of  clamor  and  discontent  in  the 
provinces."  This  Report  was  approved  by  the 
king,  who  thereupon  dismissed  the  petition. 
Could  a  more  ingenious  way  have  been  devised 
for  alienating  and  exasperating  a  brave  and  high- 
spirited  people,  who  certainly  were  as  much  en 
titled  to  the  common  birthright  of  freemen  as 
their  own  kin  who  chanced  to  live  in  England  ? 

On  the  very  next  day,  Franklin  was  officially 
notified  of  his  removal  from  the  office  of  Deputy 
Postmaster-General  for  the  colonies.  He  had 
looked  for  this,  yet  it  made  him  ii.  dignant  when 
the  base  return  finally  came.  He  kept  down  his 
feelings,  however,  resolved  to  remain  in  perfect 
control  of  his  temper,  and  knowing  that  when  he 
lost  that  he  would  part  with  his  power  to  be  of 


280  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

further  service  to  his  countrymen.  After  this  he 
kept  away  from  the  ministry,  wishing  to  have 
nothing  more  to  do  with  them.  It  was  his  inten 
tion  to  return  immediately  home ;  but,  as  before, 
circumstances  prevented.  This  was  in  the  autumn 
of  1774,  and  he  was  sixty-eight  years  of  age. 

Hearing  that  the  colonies  were  about  to  assemble 
in  a  Continental  Congress,  he  waited  in  patience 
to  learn  what  step  would  be  taken  by  them  next. 
The  arrival  of  Josiah  Quincy,  Jr.,  in  England, 
son  of  his  old  friend  in  Massachusetts,  brought 
him  much  comfort  and  consolation ;  he  got  the 
latest  advices  by  him  about  the  feeling  of  his 
countrymen.  He  was  just  the  man  to  put  him  in 
possession  of  the  most  secret  sentiments  and  de 
signs  of  the  American  leaders.  For  some  four 
months,  he  and  Dr.  Franklin  enjoyed  one  another's 
society  almost  daily. 

The  Doctor  was  getting  ready  to  leave  England 
as  early  as  possible  the  next  year,  with  fondest 
hopes  of  once  more  joining  the  delightful  family 
circle  from  which  he  had  been  separated  for  ten 
years,  when  the  sad  intelligence  of  his  wife's 
sudden  death  reached  him.  She  was  stricken  with 
paralysis,  and  survived  the  shock  but  five  days. 
They  had  been  man  and  wife  forty-four  years,  and 


STEPS    TO   THE   REVOLUTION.  281 

their  married  life  had  been  one  of  perfect  harmony. 
He  wrote  of  her,  many  years  after  her  death,  to  a 
young  lady, — "Frugality  is  an  enriching  virtue; 
a  virtue  I  never  could  acquire  myself;  but  I  was 
once  lucky  enough  to  find  it  in  a  wife,  who  there 
fore  became  a  fortune  to  me." 

In  December  of  that  year  (1774),  about  the 
middle  of  the  month,  he  received  from  America 
the  petition  of  the  first  Continental  Congress  to 
King  George,  accompanied  with  a  letter  from  the 
President  of  that  new  body  to  all  the  colonial 
agents  in  London,  desiring  them  to  present  the 
petition.  The  other  agents,  with  the  exception 
of  two  beside  Franklin,  declined  acceding  to  the 
request,  in  consequence  of  having  received  no 
instructions  from  their  several  colonies.  But  these 
three — Franklin,  Bollan,  and  Lee, — carried  the 
petition  to  Lord  Dartmouth,  who  kept  it  in  his 
hands  one  day,  and  then  engaged  to  deliver  it. 
He  afterwards  informed  them  that  it  had  been  re 
ceived  by  the  king,  who  would  at  once  lay  it  before 
Parliament  for  consideration.  It  was  done,  but 
no  allusion  whatever  was  made  to  it  in  the  king's 
speech.  The  agents  asked  to  be  heard  in  support 
of  it  at  the  bar  of  the  House,  but  were  refused 
the  privilege.  It  was  soon  after  rejected  by  a  de- 

24* 


282  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

cided  vote.  In  the  course  of  the  debate,  the 
colonists  were  spoken  of  with  contempt,  and  an 
armed  force  was  threatened  to  keep  them  in  sub 
jection. 

Franklin  saw  that  a  rupture  could  not  long  be 
avoided,  if  matters  went  on  in  this  way.  He 
visited  Lord  Chatham  (the  elder  Pitt)  at  his  coun 
try  place  by  invitation,  where  a  free  conversation 
was  held  on  American  affairs;  his  Lordship  ex 
pressing  the  highest  esteem  and  the  sincerest 
sympathy  for  the  people  of  the  colonies,  and 
hoping  that  they  would  continue  firm,  and  remain 
united  in  the  defence  of  their  rights.  Something 
passed  between  them  relative  to  the  desire  of  the 
colonists  for  independence ;  but  Franklin  assured 
his  Lordship  that  no  such  thing  had  for  once  been 
seriously  thought  of.  Yet  he  knew  too  well  that 
the  treatment  which  the  Ministry  were  visiting 
upon  the  Americans  would  surely  force  them  to 
independence  at  last. 

Two  of  his  influential  friends,  seeing  what  a 
critical  turn  matters  were  taking,  urged  him  to 
come  forward  and  make  one  more  effort  to  bring 
about  a  reconciliation  ;  they  assured  him  that  the 
Ministers  were  not  all  of  one  mind,  but  that  some 
of  them  really  desired  a  restoration  of  the  old 


STEPS   TO   THE   REVOLUTION.  283 

friendship.  They  asked  him  to  draw  up  a  plaii 
of  agreement,  such  as  would  be  acceptable  both  to 
himself  and  the  colonists.  He  consented  after  a 
time  to  do  so,  and,  at  their  next  meeting,  handed 
them  a  paper  containing  the  heads  of  seventeen 
different  articles,  styled  by  him  Hints,  which  could 
readily  be  thrown  into  the  form  of  a  compact. 
When  they  read  them,  they  raised  objections  to 
some  of  the  articles,  and  had  their  doubts  about 
others;  but  they  made  copies,  and  promised  to 
show  them  around  in  ministerial  circles,  where 
they  enjoyed  intimacies. 

Franklin  had  an  interview  on  America,  likewise, 
with  Lord  Howe,  who  was  very  anxious  that  he 
should  effect  a  reconciliation  if  possible.  He  went 
to  the  seat  of  Lord  Chatham,  too,  who  spoke  in 
high  praise  of  the  proceedings  of  Congress,  say 
ing  that  by  reason  of  their  calm,  wise,  and  mode 
rate  conduct,  they  formed  "the  most  honorable 
assembly  of  statesmen  since  those  of  the  ancient 
Greeks  and  Romans  in  the  most  virtuous  times.'* 
He  also  passed  a  night  at  the  residence  of  Lord 
Camden,  who  held  similar  opinions  on  American 
affairs  with  those  of  Chatham. 

When  he  got  back  to  London  from  this  little 
visit,  Lord  Howe  assured  him  that  both  Lord 


284  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

tforth  and  Lord  Dartmouth  were  disposed  to  bring 
about  an  accommodation,  and  asked  him  his 
opinion  of  sending  over  a  Commissioner  to 
America  to  inquire  into  the  grievances  of  the 
colonists,  and  to  agree  on  some  terms  of  pacifica 
tion.  Franklin  said  he  thought  well  of  it.  Lord 
Howe's  sister,  who  was  present,  remarked  that 
she  wished  he  was  himself  going  to  America  as 
Commissioner,  instead  of  the  General  to  command 
the  armies  there.  His  Lordship  had  perused  the 
Hints  which  Franklin  had  before  drawn  up  as  a 
basis  of  pacification,  and  took  a  copy  of  them  out 
of  his  pocket :  but  he  said  that  the  proposal  was 
much  too  hard  to  be  accepted.  He  therefore 
wished  that  Franklin  would  make  another  effort 
and  offer.  This  the  latter  promised  to  do,  though 
he  did  not  believe  it  would  be  of  any  more  avail. 
He  did  accordingly  frame  another  proposition, 
based  on  the  petition  of  Congress  to  the  King, 
and  sent  the  same  to  Lord  Howe,  who  communi 
cated  it  to  persons  of  high  standing  in  the  minis 
terial  party. 

Hearing  from  Lord  Stanhope  that  Chatham  was 
going  to  offer  a  motion  in  the  House  of  Lords  the 
next  day,  and  that  he  desired  him  to  be  present, 
he  determined  not  to  miss  the  opportunity.  The 


STEPS   TO   THE   REVOLUTION.  285 

very  next  day,  January  20th,  1775,  he  received  a 
message  from  Lord  Chatham  himself,  asking  him 
to  be  there.  He  was  punctual,  and  met  Chatham 
as  expected.  Lord  Chatham  remarked  to  him 
that  his  presence  at  the  debate  that  day  would  be 
of  more  service  to  America  than  his  own.  Taking 
Franklin  by  the  arm,  he  conducted  him  by  the 
passage  to  the  door  opening  near  the  throne.  A 
door-keeper  came  up  and  told  him  that  none  could 
be  taken  in  by  that  door  except  the  eldest  sons  or 
brothers  of  peers ;  upon  which  his  Lordship,  who 
was  lame  from  gout,  limped  back  with  him  to  the 
door  near  the  bar.  A  knot  of  gentlemen  stood 
around,  waiting  for  the  peers  who  were  to  intro 
duce  them  to  the  floor.  Chatham  handed  him 
over  to  the  door-keepers,  saying  in  a  voice  which 
all  could  hear, — "  This  is  Dr.  Franklin,  whom  I 
would  have  admitted  into  the  House."  The  door 
opened  with  no  further  delay.  Those  who  saw 
Franklin  with  Lord  Chatham,  but  did  not  know 
of  there  being  any  commerce  between  them,  were 
rather  confounded,  and  fell  to  wondering  what  it 
meant.  They  had  not  long  to  wait  in  order  to 
find  out. 

Lord  Chatham  rose  very  soon  and  moved  that 
the  troops  be  withdrawn  from  Boston ;  the  motion 


286  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

was  debated  with  warmth,  but  finally  lost.  Lord 
Chatham  told  the  House  that  his  motion  was  only 
introductory  to  a  plan  of  reconciliation  which  he 
had  it  in  mind  to  bring  forward.  That  plan  he 
did  show  to  Franklin,  a  week  after  this  debate, 
and  asked  him  to  consider  it  at  his  leisure.  The 
latter  raised  several  objections  to  it;  but  as  it  did 
not  altogether  satisfy  Chatham,  either,  it  was 
thought  best  that  it  should,  at  any  rate,  be  brought 
before  the  House  of  Lords,  if  only  to  open  the  way 
for  a  reconciliation  on  some  other  basis. 

It  was  so  submitted,  on  the  1st  of  February.  Dr. 
Franklin  was  admitted  to  the  House  as  before. 
The  audience  was  large  and  profoundly  interested. 
Lord  Chatham  made  one  of  his  most  noble  efforts 
in  behalf  of  it,  and  in  favor  of  adopting  some  just 
measures  for  an  immediate  and  permanent  recon 
ciliation  with  the  colonies.  His  speech  was  so 
grand,  so  full  of  power,  so  overflowing  with  his 
matchless  eloquence,  it  has  become  historical. 
But  in  spite  of  all  he  could  do,  assisted  by  the 
powerful  talents  of  such  men  as  Lord  Camden, 
Lord  Temple,  and  others,  the  bill  was  lost  by  a 
majority  of  two  to  one.  Lord  Sandwich,  who 
assailed  it,  was  especially  abusive  and  passionate. 
He  said  he  would  not  believe  it  proceeded  from  a 


STEPS  TO   THE   REVOLUTION.  287 

peer  of  the  realm,  but  lie  rather  believed  it  to  be 
the  work  of  some  man  from  the  other  side  of  the 
Atlantic.  He  turned  upon  Dr.  Franklin,  who  waa 
leaning  on  the  bar  at  the  time,  and,  looking 
straight  at  him,  savagely  remarked  that  "he 
fancied  he  had  in  his  eye  the  person  who  drew  it 
up, — one  of  the  bitterest  and  most  mischievous 
enemies  this  country  had  ever  known."  Lord 
Chatham  instantly  took  the  whole  responsibility 
of  it  upon  himself.  He  was  the  more  willing  to 
own  its  authorship,  since  several  of  them  professed 
to  think  so  meanly  of  it ;  for  if  it  was  so  weak, 
he  should  be  unwilling  that  any  one  else  should 
be  censured  for  it.  He  further  stated,  that  it  had 
been  reckoned  his  vice  heretofore,  "  not  to  be  apt 
to  take  advice ;  but  he  made  no  scruple  to  declare, 
that,  if  he  were  the  first  minister  of  this  country, 
and  had  the  care  of  settling  this  momentous 
business,  he  should  not  be  ashamed  of  publicly 
calling  to  his  assistance  a  person  so  perfectly  ac 
quainted  with  the  whole  of  American  affairs  as 
the  gentleman  alluded  to  and  so  injuriously  re 
flected  on ;  one,  he  was  pleased  to  say,  whom  all 
Europe  held  in  high  estimation  for  his  knowledge 
and  wisdom,  and  ranked  with  our  Bayles  and 


288  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

Newtons ;  who  was  an  honor,  not  to  the  EnglisL 
nation  only,  but  to  human  nature  !" 

His  "Hints"  were  considered  and  talked  about, 
on  this  side  and  that,  subsequently  to  the  rejection 
of  Lord  Chatham's  bill  by  the  House  of  Lords ; 
but  nothing  promised  to  result  from  it  all.  There 
were  two  or  three  persons,  certainly,  among  the 
Ministry,  each  of  whom  wanted  to  be  sent  to 
America  as  a  Commissioner  to  adjust  the  diffi 
culties  ;  and  several  plans  were  tried  for  the  sake 
of  getting  Franklin  to  subscribe  to  just  points 
enough  to  warrant  their  appointment  in  that 
capacity ;  but  the  American  sage  kept  the  rights 
and  interests  of  his  countrymen  in  mind  rather 
than  the  personal  ambition  of  certain  public  men 
in  England.  For  ten  long  years  he  had  held 
steadfastly  to  the  important  work  on  which  he  was 
despatched  to  England;  and  he  displayed  an 
amount  of  enthusiasm  and  a  persistency  of  pur 
pose  that  was  truly  wonderful,  when  it  is  con 
sidered  that  he  had  been  separated  from  his  coun 
trymen  so  long,  and  had  few  or  no  opportunities 
to  understand  exactly  how  they  felt,  or  how  com 
mon  was  the  disposition  to  resist  openly.  He  of 
course  was  regularly  apprised  of  what  was  trans 
piring  in  the  colonies;  but  he  needed  personal 


STEPS   TO   THE   REVOLUTION.  289 

contact  with  his  countrymen  to  kindle  his  patriot 
ism  to  that  glow  at  which  it  would  most  effectively 
aid  him  in  his  purposes.  Under  the  circumstances, 
therefore,  he  did  what  it  seems  no  other  man  of 
his  time  could  have  done  for  America.  He  laid 
the  claims  of  the  colonies  on  a  foundation  so 
broad  and  deep  that  neither  the  prejudices  of 
ministers  nor  the  passions  of  the  populace  could 
shake  them. 

His  work  in  England  had  drawn  to  a  close. 
There  was  nothing  more  for  him  to  do.  His 
friends  were  more  his  friends  than  ever,  and  they 
sent  him  back  across  the  ocean  with  every  expres 
sion  of  esteem  and  attachment.  He  left  word  with 
two  of  the  other  agents  that  it  was  barely  possible 
that  he  might  return  on  business  for  Pennsylvania 
in  the  autumn,  but  not  again  for  Massachusetts, 

He  set  sail  from  England  on  the  21st  of  March, 
1775,  being  now  sixty-nine  years  old;  and  he  ar 
rived  at  Philadelphia  on  the  5th  of  May.  The 
battles  of  Lexington  and  Concord — those  opening 
scenes  of  the  seven  years'  drama — were  fought 
while  he  was  upon  the  ocean.  He  beguiled  the 
long  time  of  his  voyage  with  writing  an  account 
of  his  efforts  while  in  England  to  prevent  a  col 
lision  between  the  mother  country  and  her  colo- 

25 


290  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

nies,  and  to  perpetuate  their  former  friendship. 
And  he  lost  no  opportunity,  either,  to  experiment 
philosophically  while  on  the  deep.  He  discov 
ered  that  the  water  in  the  Gulf  stream  is  warmer 
than  the  water  on  either  side  of  it;  a  matter 
which  he  explained  after  philosophical  methods. 

On  the  very  next  day  after  he  arrived  home,  the 
Pennsylvania  Assembly  chose  him  a  delegate  to 
the  second  Continental  Congress,  which  was  held 
in  Philadelphia  on  the  10th  of  the  month.  The 
news  of  the  19th  of  April,  at  Lexington  and  Con 
cord,  had  aroused  the  colonists  from  one  end  of 
the  land  to  the  other.  Franklin  wrote  to  Dr. 
Priestly  at  once,  that  "the  breach  between  the 
two  countries  is  grown  wider,  and  in  danger  of 
becoming  irreparable." 

He  was  with  those  who  were  foremost  in  the 
Congress  to  unite  now  in  open  resistance  to  Eng 
land.  He  believed  that  the  time  for  protests  and 
petitions  was  passed.  The  Congress  did  send  over 
another  petition,  though  there  was  strong  opposi 
tion  to  the  step ;  still,  all  were  ready  to  keep  the 
door  open  for  reconciliation  as  late  and  long  as 
possible.  Franklin  was  now  an  active  member  of 
Congress,  though  in  his  seventieth  year,  besides 
serving  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Safety, 


STEPS   TO    THE    REVOLUTION.  291 

appointed  by  the  Pennsylvania  Assembly.  The 
latter  was  a  position  which  required  constant  labor 
and  care.  For  eight  months  he  served  upon  this 
committee  with  all  the  laborious  zeal  of  a  young 
man.  He  wrote — "  My  time  was  never  more  fully 
employed;  in  the  morning  at  six,  I  am  at  the 
Committee  of  Safety,  which  committee  holds  till 
near  nine ;  when  I  am  at  Congress,  and  that  sits 
till  four  in  the  afternoon."  Young  men,  in  these 
days,  do  not  usually  work  any  harder  than  that. 

He  was  before  the  general  sentiment  in  the  mat 
ter  of  a  separate  and  independent  government, 
and  on  the  21st  of  July  he  presented  a  plan  of  a 
confederacy  of  the  colonies  to  the  Congress.  No 
action  was  then  had  upon  it,  but  it  formed  the 
groundwork  of  operations  in  that  direction,  about 
a  year  later.  It  amounted,  in  fact,  to  a  declara 
tion  of  independence.  Congress  proceeded  to 
establish  a  general  post  office  system,  the  old  one 
being  destroyed  by  the  hostile  relations  of  the 
two  countries ;  and  Franklin  was  made  Postmaster- 
General,  with  a  salary  of  a  thousand  dollars  a  year. 
He  was  empowered  to  make  what  post-routes  and 
appoint  such  postmasters  under  him  as  he  chose. 
In  the  raising  and  organization  of  the  army,  which 
was  the  first  matter  before  Congress,  he  performed 


292  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

excellent  and  timely  service.  He  was  placed,  too, 
on  a  number  of  important  committees,  on  all  of 
which  he  served  industriously.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Secret  Committee  of  Congress,  among 
others ;  whose  duty  it  was  to  obtain  cannon,  mus- 
kets,  and  ammunition,  as  well  as  to  procure  every 
variety  of  military  supplies  and  afterward  dis 
tribute  them  among  the  troops  and  such  armed 
vessels  as  were  in  the  Continental  service.  It  re 
quired  great  caution  and  foresight  to  import  these 
necessary  articles  of  war,  and  steer  clear  of  sub 
jecting  them  to  the  capture  of  the  enemy's  vessels 
which  were  cruising  everywhere. 

He  likewise  turned  his  hand  to  a  plan  for  emit 
ting  paper  currency ;  but  his  suggestions  were  not 
all  adopted  by  the  Congress,  which  doubtless  was 
the  cause  of  the  depreciation  of  that  currency  after 
a  short  trial.  "When  Washington  took  command 
of  the  American  army  at  Cambridge,  Dr.  Franklin 
was  sent,  with  Benjamin  Harrison  and  Thomas 
Lynch,  to  the  camp,  to  devise  a  plan  for  the  great 
est  possible  efficiency  of  the  army.  The  meeting 
between  these  distinguished  persons  took  place  at 
"Washington's  headquarters  on  the  18th  day  of 
October ;  and  the  several  colonies  of  !N"ew  Eng- 


STEPS   TO   THE   REVOLUTION.  293 

land  were  represented.  The  interview  was  pro 
longed  through,  several  days ;  and  the  result 
reached  proved  satisfactory  to  the  committee  and 
to  General  Washington. 

He  had  been  elected  a  member  of  the  Pennsyl 
vania  Assembly  in  his  absence,  so  that  when  he 
returned  he  found  himself  obliged  to  attend  daily 
upon  the  Assembly,  the  Congress,  and  the  Com 
mittee  of  Safety  for  Pennsylvania ;  but  he  gave 
Congress  the  preference  when  the  hours  of  meet 
ing  interfered.  On  the  29th  of  November,  Con 
gress  appointed  a  Committee  of  Secret  Correspond 
ence,  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  up  regular  com 
munication  with  those  who  favored  America  in 
Europe,  whether  in  England,  Scotland,  and  Ire 
land,  or  on  the  continent.  Dr.  Franklin  was,  of 
course,  assigned  an  important  place  on  this  com 
mittee.  He  forthwith  laid  a  train  by  which  the 
committee  could  at. an  early  day  receive  intelli 
gence  of  what  was  going  on  in  Europe.  He  was 
very  industrious  with  his  always  serviceable  pen 
in  this  direction. 

A  plan  was  set  on  foot  to  induce  the  people  of 
the  Canadas  to  take  part  in  the  Congress ;  but  it 
soon  fell  through.  The  Canadians  and  the  oolo- 
25* 


294  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

nists  could  not  be  expected  to  become  sudden 
friends,  after  past  experiences,  on  no  better  basis 
than  that  of  a  common  hatred  of  the  measures  of 
Great  Britain.  But  Congress  sent  a  commission 
to  Canada,  composed  of  Dr.  Franklin,  Samuel 
Chase,  and  Charles  Carroll,  to  look  after  the  army 
operations  which  were  going  forward  in  that  quar 
ter,  and  to  promise  the  people  of  Canada  all  the 
help  they  wanted  in  setting  up  a  government  for 
themselves. 

They  left  on  the  20th  of  March,  1776,  but  did 
not  arrive  in  Montreal  until  the  last  of  April.  The 
roads  were  in  such  condition  that  they  could  not 
travel  any  faster.  And  it  was  a  very  inopportune 
time,  too,  when  they  did  arrive ;,  for  the  American 
army,  under  Montgomery  and  Arnold,  had  begun 
their  retreat  after  the  disaster  before  Quebec,  and 
it  was  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  Canadians  cared 
to  treat  with  the  new  commissioners  on  such  a 
subject,  just  then,  if,  indeed,  they  ever  had  been 
ready  to  treat.  Dr.  Franklin  was  exposed  to  the 
most  inclement  weather  during  the  journey,  being 
compelled  to  sleep  out  in  the  woods  in  some  parts 
of  it ;  and  this,  for  a  man  of  seventy,  might  be 
thought  rather  hard  usage.  He  remained  two 


STEPS   TO   THE   REVOLUTION.  295 

weeks  in  Montreal,  and  then  turned  his  steps 
homeward  again,  leaving  the  other  commissioners 
behind.  He  reached  Albany  after  much  trouble, 
and  went  thence  in  the  private  carriage  of  General 
Schuyler  to  New  York,  and  finally  arrived  home 
in  the  fore-part  of  June. 


296  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


CHAPTER   XTIT. 

MINISTER     TO     FRANCE. 

HE  now  gave  his  whole  time  to  his  duties 
as  a  member  of  Congress.  The  subject 
of  independence  was  broached,  and  imme 
diately  arrested  general  attention.  All  things 
were  ripe  for  the  movement.  Virginia  directed 
her  delegates  to  propose  it  in  the  Congress.  Her 
request  was  obeyed  by  the  famous  Richard  Henry 
Lee.  The  debate  drew  out  the  fact  that  the  greater 
part  of  that  body  was  prepared  to  take  the  final 
step  towards  independence.  In  that  immortal 
debate,  such  men  as  John  Dickinson,  John  Adams, 
Roger  Sherman,  Livingston,  and  Lee  participated. 
A  committee  was  selected  to  draw  up  a  Declara 
tion  of  Independence,  which  consisted  of  John 
Adams,  Jefferson,  Franklin,  Sherman,  and  Living 
ston.  Jefferson  drafted  the  Declaration,  but 
Franklin  and  Adams  made  a  few  verbal  altera- 


MINISTER   TO    FRANCE.  297 

tions.  It  was  debated  for  three  days,  and  on  the 
4th  of  July  passed  by  an  emphatic  vote.  "While 
the  members  were  signing  their  names  to  the  new 
Declaration,  Hancock,  whose  bold  hand  seems  to 
overshadow  all  the  rest,  made  the  remark — "  We 
must  be  unanimous;  there  must  be  no  pulling 
different  ways ;  we  must  all  hang  together." 
"Yes,"  said  Franklin,  "we  must,  indeed,  all  hang 
together,  or  most  assuredly  we  shall  all  hang  sepa 
rately." 

In  the  measures  taken  immediately  after  to  set 
an  effective  government  in  operation,  Dr.  Frank 
lin  took  a  profound  interest,  and  his  talents  were 
always  at  the  command  of  the  Congress.  The  im 
portant  letters,  documents,  schemes,  and  discus 
sions  with  which  his  name  was  intimately  con 
nected,  are  more  numerous  than  is  popularly 
thought. 

Congress  having  at  length  decided  to  make  an 
attempt  to  form  foreign  alliances,  the.  colonies 
being  now  an  independent  power,  the  first  thought 
was  to  make  approaches  to  France ;  the  general 
instinct  was,  that  she  would  see  that  such  an 
alliance  against  England  would  be  for  her  interests 
every  way.  Accordingly,  three  commissioners 
were  appointed  to  reside  near  the  Court  of  France, 


298  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

and  attend  to  the  interests  of  the  American  colo 
nies.  They  were  Dr.  Franklin,  Silas  Deane,  and 
Arthur  Lee.  Deane  was  in  France  already,  en 
gaged  in  procuring  and  sending  out  munitions  of 
war;  Lee  was  in  England,  where  Franklin  left 
him ;  and  Franklin  would  have  but  to  cross  the 
seas  to  make  the  trio  complete. 

On  the  26th  of  October,  1776,  he  took  his  de 
parture  from  Philadelphia,  to  perform  the  crown 
ing  public  services  of  his  life.  His  two  grandsons 
went  in  his  company.  On  the  following  day  they 
went  aboard  the  ship  Reprisal,  carrying  sixteen 
guns.  He  had  placed  all  the  money  he  could 
raise  before  leaving  home — between  three  and  four 
thousand  pounds — at  the  disposal  of  Congress. 
The  vessel  was  chased  by  British  cruisers,  but  not 
overhauled.  The  captain  took  two  British  prizes, 
however,  off'  the  French  coast. 

Dr.  Franklin  was  set  on  shore  at  Auray,  whence 
he  went  by  land  to  Nantes,  a  distance  of  seventy 
miles.  Here  he  sought  rest  from  the  fatigue  of 
his  voyage  and  journey  at  a  country  seat  near  by. 
Nobody  knew  beforehand  of  his  coming.  Even 
the  fact  of  his  appointment  was  kept  secret  by 
Congress.  After  eight  days  he  set  out  for  Paris, 
arriving  there  on  the  21st  of  December.  There 


MINISTER   TO   FRANCE.  299 

was  a  great  deal  of  talk  in  all  circles  in  the  French 
capital,  when  it  was  known  that  he  had  arrived  in 
the  country,  and  all  parties  puzzled  their  wits  to 
make  out  in  exactly  what  capacity  he  had  come. 
Mr.  Deane  was  already  in  Paris,  and  Mr.  Lee  ar 
rived  the  next  day.  Dr.  Franklin  soon  took  lodg 
ings  at  Passy,  a  pretty  little  village  near  Paris, 
where  he  continued  to  make  his  home  for  the 
whole  time  he  was  in  France. 

His  antecedent  life  had  prepared  the  way  for 
his  cordial  reception.  He  was  long  before  known 
as  a  philosopher,  as  the  author  of  "Poor  Richard," 
and  for  his  frank  but  bold  conduct  in  the  face  of 
the  English  ministry,  while  the  American  cause 
still  claimed  a  hearing  before  Parliament  and  the 
King.  The  people  of  Paris  looked  on  him  as  a 
sage,  and  paid  him  the  fall  reverence  due  such  an 
exalted  character.  It  was  said  of  the  effect  pro 
duced  by  his  coming,  that  "  diplomatic  etiquette 
did  not  permit  him  often  to  hold  interviews  with 
the  ministers,  but  he  associated  with  all  the 
distinguished  personages  who  directed  public 
opinion."  The  people  of  France  took  him  as  a 
personal  representative  of  his  countrymen,  and 
regarded  his  serene  countenance  as  like  their  own. 
He  was  described  as  joining  "  to  the  demeanor  of 


300  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

Phocion  the  spirit  of  Socrates."  The  old  and  the 
young  made  common  court  to  him,  and  esteemed 
it  almost  a  royal  privilege  to  gain  admission  to  his 
house  at  Passy.  He  did  not  have  to  put  himself 
to  much  trouble  to  negotiate ;  "  his  virtues  and  his 
renown  negotiated  for  him." 

His  portraits  were  to  be  seen  everywhere.  His 
venerable  looking  head  was  on  medallions  of  every 
variety,  of  sizes  suitable  to  be  set  in  snuff-box 
lids,  or  worn  in  rings.  He  had  worn  a  huge  wig, 
while  in  England,  agreeably  to  the  fashion  of  the 
times ;  but  he  put  it  off,  after  he  went  to  France, 
and  wore  a  fur  cap  on  his  head  in  place  of  it. 
After  a  time,  he  went  without  this;  and  in  the 
best  portrait  which  was  ever  painted  of  him,  that 
by  Duplessis,  he  shows  none  but  his  own  hair, 
sparse  on  the  top  of  his  head,  but  flowing  down 
freely  over  his  shoulders.  He  likewise  wore 
spectacles,  a  little  later  in  life,  whenever  he  went 
from  home. 

The  business  of  the  Commissioners  was  to  offer 
a  plan  to  the  French  Court  for  a  treaty  of  com 
merce  with  the  American  nation,  and  to  try  and 
obtain,  at  the  cost  of  the  United  States,  eight 
line-of-battle  ships ;  also  to  borrow  money,  obtain 
and  send  forward  military  supplies,  and  fit  out 


MINISTER   TO    FRANCE.  301 

armed  vessels  under  the  new  flag  of  the  United 
States,  should  the  French  government  offer  no 
objection. 

But  while  France  was  willing  to  help  the 
colonies,  it  was  not  for  her  interest  just  then  to 
break  with  England.  The  Commissioners  made 
a  great  many  valuable  friends,  though  but  little 
visible  headway  in  their  business.  The  people  of 
France  were  much  more  demonstrative  than  the 
ministry.  The  news  of  the  reverses  in  America, 
too,  did  not  have  the  effect  to  make  very  enthusi 
astic  friends  for  the  colonists,  at  that  particular 
time.  Canada  was  cleared  of  our  troops ;  the 
battle  of  Long  Island  had  been  fought  and  lost  to 
us ;  the  British  had  compelled  us  to  evacuate  New 
York;  and  General  Howe  was  in  possession  of 
forts  "Washington  and  Lee,  on  the  Hudson.  Wash 
ington  was  retreating  with  the  ragged  remnants 
of  an  army  through  JSTew  Jersey,  and  the  people 
of  the  country  through  which  he  passed  were 
losing  their  faith  in  the  cause.  Congress,  too,  had 
fled  from  Philadelphia  to  Baltimore.  To  ask 
France  to  step  out  before  the  world  at  such  a  time 
and  become  the  open  friend  of  our  falling  fortunes, 
much  less  to  become  the  voluntary  champion  of 

26 


302  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

our  cause,  would  have  been  preposterous,  if  not  a 
token  of  insanity. 

For  all  that,  the  Commissioners  received  secret 
intimations  and  pledges  of  sympathy  and  support 
from  the  Ministry,  though  they  were  not  permitted 
to  hold  audience  with  the  King.  It  was  likewise 
told  them  that  two  millions  of  livres  would  come 
to  them  soon,  through  a  private  hand,  to  be  used 
on  behalf  of  the  United  States.  The  pretence 
was  that  the  money  was  the  free  contribution  of  a 
few  generous  individuals,  who  entertained  a  deep 
sympathy  with  the  American  cause,  and  did  not 
ask  that  the  money  should  be  repaid  until  after 
peace  was  declared.  But  the  truth  was,  the  money 
came  from  the  royal  treasury ;  and  so  the  Com 
missioners  understood  it.  And  knowing  this,  and 
realizing  also  what  was  the  determination  among 
their  countrymen  to  hold  out  until  independence 
was  achieved,  Franklin  and  his  associates  felt  sure 
that  France  would  in  good  time  come  out  and 
openly  side  with  America. 

In  the  early  autumn  of  1777,  General  Burgoyne 
was  captured,  with  all  his  army,  by  the  northern 
army  under  General  Gates  ;  and  this  put  a  brighter 
face  on  matters  at  once.  The  Commissioners  im 
proved  the  fortunate  occasion  to  present  the  Court 


MINISTER   TO    FRANCE.  303 

with  an  account  of  the  new  state  of  things,  and  to 
urge  again  their  proposal  for  a  treaty.     The  King 
and  Ministry  had  been  waiting  for  just  such  a 
fortunate  change  in  American   affairs,  and  were 
ready  now  to  make  a  favorable  response  to  the 
American   agents.     M.  Gerard,  the  Secretary  of 
the  King's  Council,  waited  on  them,  and  assured 
them  that,  by  the  advice  of  his  Council,  the  King 
had  resolved  to  acknowledge  the  independence  of 
the  United  States,  and  to  enter  into  a  treaty  of 
friendship  and  commerce  with  them.     The  King 
further  desired  to  assure  them  that  he  wished  to 
take  no  sort  of  advantage  of  the  present  condition 
of  the  United  States,  to  exact  terms  which  they 
would  not  care  to  comply  with  in  more  prosperous 
times,  but  that  he  wished  to  deal  with  them  on 
fair  and  equal  terms,  being  resolved  to  aid  them  in 
their  efforts  to  establish  an  independent  nation  lay 
every  means  at  his  command.     It  was  to  be  ex 
pected,  of  course,  that  war  with  England  would 
grow  out  of  it ;  but  he  exacted  no  indemnities  on 
that  account,  only  desiring  the  United  States  to 
make  a  pledge  not  to  surrender  their  entire  inde 
pendence  in  any  treaty  of  peace  which  they  might 
make  with  England,  nor  ever  return  to  subjection 
again  to  British  rule. 


804  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

The  new  treaty  was  signed  on  the  6th  day  of 
February,  1788,  and  a  messenger  was  sent  over  at 
once  with  the  tidings  to  America,  where  it  was 
received  with  tokens  of  universal  joy  and  grati 
tude.  To  the  address,  perseverance,  skill,  and 
personal  popularity  of  Dr.  Franklin  the  people  of 
the  United  States  felt  that  they  owed  this  most 
desirable  result. 

The  independence  of  America  having  thus  been 
proclaimed,  of  course  the  Court  could  no  longer 
decline  to  give  an  audience  to  its  agents  and  com 
missioners.  They  made  their  public  appearance 
at  Versailles  accordingly.  In  the  accounts  which 
were  given  of  this  notable  ceremony,  Franklin  is 
spoken  of  as  being  accompanied  by  a  large  number 
of  Americans  and  foreigners,  led  by  curiosity  to 
witness  the  scene.  "His  age,"  says  one,  "his 
venerable  aspect,  the  simplicity  of  his  dress, 
everything  fortunate  and  remarkable  in  the  life  of 
this  American,  contributed  to  excite  public  atten 
tion.  The  clapping  of  hands  and  other  expressions 
of  joy  indicated  that  warmth  of  enthusiasm  which 
the  French  are  more  susceptible  of  than  any  other 
people."  When  he  crossed  the.  court  to  pass  to 
the  office  cf  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  the 
crowd  waited  for  him  until  he  came  in  sight,  when 


MINISTER   TO    FRANCE.  305 

they  greeted  him  with  acclamations.  Whenever 
he  made  his  public  appearance  in  Paris,  he  was 
the  recipient 'of  similar  attentions.  At  so  fashion 
able  a  Court  as  that  of  France,  he  was  made 
rather  more  of  by  reason  of  his  republican  dress. 
Madame  Campan  wrote  of  his  appearance — "  His 
straight,  unpowdered  hair,  his  round  hat,  his 
brown  cloth  coat,  formed  a  singular  contrast  with 
the  laced  and  embroidered  coats  and  perfumed 
heads  of  the  courtiers  of  Versailles." 

He  had  an  interview  with  Yoltaire,  who  had 
expressed  a  desire  to  see  the  illustrious  American. 
Voltaire  complimented  Dr.  Franklin  by  opening 
and  carrying  on  the  conversation  in  English. 

During  the  ten  months  he  had  been  waiting  to 
be  recognized  by  the  government  of  France  as  the 
agent  of  a  new  nation  over  the  seas,  a  number  of 
foreign  officers  had  applied  to  him  for  letters 
recommending  them  to  Congress,  or  to  General 
Washington  ;  and  the  volume  soon  swelled  to  such 
a  size  as  to  be  truly  embarrassing.  The  contents 
of  these  letters  were  as  various  as  possible ;  they 
set  forth  the  wonderful  exploits  of  the  writers,  or 
enclosed  certificates  and  recommendations  of  men 
of  rank  and  military  commanders.  Franklin 
jould  only  answer  to  them  all  that  he  had  no 

26* 


306  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

offices  in  the  army  to  bestow,  and  no  power  to 
engage  officers  for  the  American  army,  but  it  was 
to  no  purpose.  He  wrote  almost  in  despair  to  a 
friend, — "  You  can  have  no  idea  how  I  am  harassed. 
All  my  friends  are  sought  out,  and  teased  to  tease 
me.  Great  officers  of  rank  in  all  departments, — 
ladies,  great  and  small, — besides  professed  solic 
itors,  worry  me  from  morning  till  night." 

But  in  the  case  of  the  young  Marquis  de  La 
fayette  he  proceeded  differently;  he  recommended 
him  to  Congress  and  his  countrymen  at  once,  and, 
in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Deane,  signed  a  letter  to 
Congress,  in  which  it  was  stated  that  he  (Lafayette) 
was  "  gone  to  America  in  a  ship  of  his  own,  ac 
companied  by  some  officers  of  distinction,  in  order 
to  serve  in  our  armies.  He  is  exceedingly  beloved, 
and  everybody's  good  wishes  attend  him.  *  *  * 
He  has  left  a  beautiful  young  wife,  and,  for  her 
sake  particularly,  we  hope  that  his  bravery  and 
ardent  desire  to  distinguish  himself  will  be  a  little 
restrained  by  the  General's  prudence,  so  as  not  to 
permit  his  being  hazarded  much  except  on  some 
important  occasion." 

On  the  14th  of  September,  17T8,  Congress  ap 
pointed  him  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  the  French 
Court.  He  had  veil  deserved  so  distinguishing  a 


MINISTER   TO   FRANCE.  307 

mark  of  the  public  confidence.  It  was  the  crown 
ing  part  of  his  long  public  career.  He  was 
seventy-two  years  old;  an  age  when  most  men 
think  they  should  be  snug  at  home,  perhaps 
tenants  of  the  chimney  corner. 

As  Minister,  his  duties  became  at  once  very 
much  more  weighty  than  as  one  of  the  three  com 
missioners  ;  yet  he  was  able,  notwithstanding  his 
age,  to  perform  them  with  regularity  and  efficiency. 
He  had  political  enemies,  who  let  pass  no  occasion 
to  criticise  the  manner  in  which  he  performed  his 
official  duties;  but  his  calm  frame  of  mind  and 
placid  temper  were  not  disturbed  by  their  fault 
finding.  He  discharged  the  offices  incumbent  on 
him,  at  any  rate,  with  such  perfect  acceptance  as 
to  maintain  for  himself  and  his  country  the  steady 
favor  of  the  King  and  Ministry,  who  never  re 
fused  to  grant  one  of  his  requests,  though  they 
were  made  with  embarrassing  frequency,  and 
generally  pertained  to  money.  It  was  one  of  his 
own  admissions  afterward,  that  the  Minister  for 
Foreign  Affairs,  Count  de  Yergennes,  always  ful 
filled  his  promises;  and  that  not  one  of  the  large 
number  of  drafts  which  were  drawn  on  him  by 
Congress,  during  the  war,  was  allowed  to  go  to 
protest,  or  to  pass  the  time  of  payment. 


308  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

He  received  several  proposals,  while  Minister, 
to  act  as  mediator  for  a  peace  between  the  mother 
country  and  the  colonies,  on  condition  that 
America  should  concede  certain  commercial  privi 
leges  to  England  which  she  did  not  to  France ; 
but  that  sort  of  condition  was  entirely  out  of  the 
question.  He  was  addressed,  also,  on  the  subject 
by  a  secret  agent  under  an  assumed  name,  who 
laid  before  him  a  plan  of  reconciliation,  and  a  form 
of  government  for  America  in  the  future.  The 
writer  took  occasion  to  disparage  France  as  much 
as  he  could,  and  to  assure  Franklin  that  America 
would  find  her  fickle  and  false ;  and  then,  as  if  to 
impress  Franklin  with  the  power  and  determina 
tion  of  England,  he  added,  that  Parliament  would 
'  never  acknowledge  the  independence  of  the 
colonies,  nor  would  the  people  of  England  ever 
submit  to  such  an  act.  He  declared  that  the 
British  title  to  the  empire  was  perfect,  and  that 
the  present  generation,  and  their  successors  after 
them,  would  insist  upon  that  title  forever.  Frank 
lin  always  thought  this  secret  agent  of  the  British 
government  was  really  in  Paris  all  the  time, 
though  he  dated  his  letter  from  Brussels.  And 
supposing  that  he  was  acting  in  the  interest  of  the 
British  Ministry,  he  replied  in  a  manner  which  he 


MINISTER   TO   FRANCE.  309 

thought  would  best  meet  the  case.  The  answer  is 
one  of  his  finest  specimens  of  combined  ridicule, 
sarcasm,  pungency,  and  strong  thought. 

While  serving  in  a  public  and  political  capacity, 
Franklin  had  drawn  to  him  a  large  number  of 
friends,  composed  of  the  most  distinguished  men 
not  only  of  Paris  but  of  France ;  men  known  in 
scientific,  literary,  and  political  circles  above  the 
other  men  of  their  time.  "When  he  attended  the 
meetings  of  the  French  Academy,  he  was  always 
received  by  the  members  with  most  marked 
attention. 

He  had  his  thoughts  about  him  always  for  in 
ventions,  improvements,  and  plans  of  whatever 
sort,  which  were  calculated,  as  he  believed,  to 
prove  of  benefit  to  the  human  race.  He  was  in 
all  respects  a  man  of  philanthropy  and  progress. 
The  famous  Captain  Cook  being  about  to  return 
from  a  voyage  of  discovery,  Dr.  Franklin  sent  a 
circular  letter  to  the  captains  of  American  cruisers, 
requesting  them  not  to  capture,  or  even  to  detain, 
much  less  to  plunder  the  vessel  of  anything  which 
they  might  find  on  board,  in  case  they  should  fall 
in  with  it.  Captain  Cook  being  an  Englishman, 
and  Franklin  being  Foreign  Minister  of  a  power 
with  which  England  was  then  at  war,  an  act  of 


310  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

such  a  character  could  not  go  without  its  influence ; 
and  accordingly,  when  Captain  Cook's  "Voyage" 
was  published,  the  Board  of  Admiralty  sent  a  copy 
to  Dr.  Franklin,  accompanied  with  a  letter  from 
Lord  Howe  which  informed  him  that  it  was  pre 
sented  with  the  King's  personal  approval.  A 
medal,  struck  in  honor  of  Captain  Cook  hy  the 
Royal  Society,  was  also  sent  him. 

Paul  Jones,  the  "  father  of  the  American  Navy," 
likewise  presented  himself  before  him,  in  connec 
tion  with  a  plan  which  had  been  formed  for  fitting 
out  a  squadron  of  vessels  to  make  a  descent  on 
the  coast  of  England.  There  was  to  be  a  land 
force  connected  with  the  expedition,  which  La 
fayette  would  command  ;  Jones  would  be  in  com 
mand  of  the  squadron.  This  scheme,  however, 
fell  through.  Jones  soon  after  won  immortal  re 
nown  by  fighting  the  frigate  JSerapis  with  the  Bon 
Homme  Eichard,  off  the  English  coast;  the  affairs 
of  his  cruise  required  adjustment  afterwards,  espe 
cially  his  trouble  with  the  French  Captain  Landais, 
who  was  second  in  command ;  and  this  delicate 
business  devolved  upon  Dr.  Franklin. 

With  all  his  public  duties  and  his  social  de 
mands,  he  never  neglected  the  pursuit  of  his 
studies  in  philosophy.  Sir  Humphrey  Davy  says 


MINISTER   TO    FRANCE.  311 

of  some  of  his  researches  and  writings — "  By  very 
small  means  he  established  very  grand  truths.  * 
*  *  He  has  written  equally  for  the  uninitiated 
and  for  the  philosopher ;  and  he  has  rendered  his 
details  amusing  as  well  as  perspicuous,  elegant  as 
well  as  simple.  Science  appears  in  his  language 
in  a  dress  wonderfully  decorous,  the  best  adapted 
to  display  her  native  loveliness.  He  has  in  no 
instance  exhibited  that  false  dignity  by  which 
philosophy  is  kept  aloof  from  common  applica 
tions  ;  and  he  has  sought  rather  to  make  her  a 
useful  inmate  and  servant  in  the  common  habita 
tions  of  man,  than  to  preserve  her  merely  as  an 
object  of  admiration  in  temples  and  palaces." 
Higher  praise  could  not  be  written.  It  was  Frank 
lin's  part  to  bring  down  the  mysteries  of  science 
to  the  comprehension  of  the  people. 

While  still  Minister  to  France,  and  after  he  had 
been  approached  by  a  British  agent,  a  member  of 
Parliament,  on  the  subject  of  reconciling  the  colo 
nies  with  the  mother  country  even  at  the  expense 
of  the  friendship  of  France,  the  Englishman  wrote 
him,  just  as  he  was  leaving  Paris  for  London, — 
"  If  tempestuous  times  should  come,  take  care  of 
your  own  safety ;  events  are  uncertain,  and  men 
are  capricious."  Franklin  replied  to  him, — "I 


312  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

thank  you  for  your  kind  caution;  but,  having 
nearly  finished  a  long  life,  I  set  but  little  value 
upon  what  remains  of  it.  Like  a  draper,  when 
one  chaffers  with  him  for  a  remnant,  I  am  ready 
to  say,  'As  it  is  only  a  fag  end,  I  will  not  differ 
with  you  about  it;  take  it  for  what  you  please.' 
Perhaps  the  best  use  such  an  old  fellow  can  be  put 
to,  is  to  make  a  martyr  of  him." 

The  respect  paid  to  Franklin  by  the  French  peo 
ple,  as  well  as  by  the  Court  and  the  men  of  let 
ters,  was  well  calculated  to  gratify  even  the  vanity 
of  the  young  nation  which  he  represented.  His 
portraits  and  medals  were  to  be  seen  everywhere. 
Over  and  around  his  head  on  the  medals  was  im 
pressed  the  noble,  but  wholly  deserved,  inscription 
of  Turgot, — "Eripuit  coelo  fulmen,  sceptrumque 
tyrannis:" — which  is  translated, — "He  snatched 
the  lightning  from  heaven,  and  the  sceptre  from 
tyrants." 

There  were  stories  set  on  foot,  after  a  time,  that 
he  was  too  compliant  to  the  French  Court,  and 
that  America  would  fare  better  if  she  put  on  a 
more  bold  manner.  Mr.  John  Adams,  afterwards 
Minister  to  Great  Britain,  was  of  this  opinion. 
The  talk  that  was  made  over  it  soon  led  to  sug 
gestions  in  Congress  whether  another  might  not 


MINISTER   TO   FRANCE.  313 

with  advantage  be  appointed  to  Dr.  Franklin's 
place.  The  French  Minister  in  the  United  States, 
M.  De  la  Luzerne,  wrote  to  Count  de  Yergennes, 
Foreign  Minister  of  France, — "  Congress  is  filled 
with  intrigues  and  cabals  respecting  the  recall  of 
Dr.  Franklin,  which  the  delegates  from  Massachu 
setts  insist  on  by  all  sorts  of  means."  The  Count 
wrote  back  in  reply, — "  If  you  are  questioned  re 
specting  our  opinion  of  Dr.  Franklin,  you  may  say, 
without  hesitation,  that  we  esteem  him  as  much 
for  his  patriotism  as  for  the  wisdom  of  his  con 
duct.  *  *  *  We  are  of  opinion  that  his  recall 
would  be  very  inconvenient  in  the  present  state 
of  things,  and  it  would  be  the  more  disagreeable 
to  us,  inasmuch  as  he  would  perhaps  be  succeeded 
by  a  character  unquiet,  exacting,  difficult,  and  less 
ardently  attached  to  the  cause  of  his  country." 

Dr.  Franklin  was  of  the  last  service  to  the 
United  States  in  procuring  loans  of  money  with 
which  to  carry  on  the  war.  The  French  govern 
ment  had  loaned  us  already  about  th^ree  millions 
of  livres  a  year.  In  1781,  he  increased  that  loan 
to  four  millions,  besides  a  subsidy  of  six  millions, 
which  was  a  "gift  outright  to  America."  Even 
after  that,  Col.  Laurens  came  over  to  Paris  to 
solicit  further  aid  still.  Dr.  Franklin  joined  with 

27 


314  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

him  in  making  the  request,  and  was  to  a  degree 
successful.  The  King  could  do  nothing  more  from 
the  government  treasury,  but  he  promised  to  guar 
antee  the  interest  of  a  loan  in  Holland,  the  debt 
not  to  exceed  ten  millions  of  livres. 

He  was  at  this  time  seventy-five  years  old,  and 
he  formed  his  plans  to  withdraw  from  public  life 
altogether.  In  writing  to  the  President  of  Con 
gress  on  the  subject,  he  said, — "  I  have  passed  my 
seventy-fifth  year;  and  I  find  that  the  long  and 
severe  fit  of  the  gout,  which  I  had  the  last  winter, 
has  shaken  me  exceedingly,  and  I  am  yet  far  from 
having  recovered  the  bodily  strength  I  before  en 
joyed.  I  do  not  know  that  my  mental  faculties 
are  impaired ;  perhaps  I  shall  be  the  last  to  dis 
cover  that ;  but  I  am  sensible  of  great  diminution 
in  my  activity.  *  *  *  I  find,  also,  that  the 
business  is  too  heavy  for  me,  and  too  confining. 
The  constant  attendance  at  home,  which  is  neces 
sary  for  receiving  and  accepting  your  bills  of  ex 
change,  to  answer  letters,  and  perform  other  parts 
of  my  employment,  prevents  my  taking  the  air 
and  exercise  which  my  annual  journeys  formerly 
used  to  afford  me,  and  which  contributed  much  to 
the  preservation  of  my  health." 

He  had  been  in  public  life  now  for  fifty  years ; 


MINISTER  TO  FRANCE.  315 

and  he  confessed  that  he  had,  in  that  time,  enjoyed 
honor  enough  to  satisfy  any  reasonable  ambition. 
He  craved  nothing  but  repose  and  rest ;  and  he 
hoped  Congress  would  at  once  grant  his  request 
and  send  some  one  else  to  take  his  place.  He  did 
not  propose,  however,  to  return  home  at  once,  for 
the  fatigues  of  the  last  sea  voyage  had  nearly  over 
come  his  strength ;  but  he  thought  he  would  stay 
in  France  until  after  peace  was  declared,  and  per 
haps  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Whatever  ex 
perience  he  had  already  gained  there,  he  was 
ready  to  turn  over-  to  his  successor. 

Congress  was  not  ready  fo  listen  to  his  proposal. 
That  body  was  just  making  up  a  commission  to 
negotiate  a  peace  with  Great  Britain, — the  surren 
der  of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown  having  virtually 
decided  the  contest, — and  Dr.  Franklin  was  named 
with  four  other  gentlemen  to  join  Mr.  Adams.  He 
therefore  continued  to  hold  his  office.  Having 
been  already  addressed  in  the  British  interest  on 
the  subject  of  a  reconciliation,  he  was  now  plied 
with  insidious  proposals  most  industriously. 
They  tried  to  influence  him  to  agree,  for  one 
thing,  on  a  ten  years'  truce,  during  which  America 
was  not  to  assist  France,  while  England  was  to 
carry  on  war  against  that  power.  Franklin  de- 


316  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

nounced  such  a  proposal  as  the  depth  of  perfidy. 
To  sunder  the  ties  that  held  France  and  the  United 
States  together,  England  was  ready  to  make  the 
last  endeavor.  She  offered  tempting  baits  for  that 
purpose  alike  to  France  and  the  United  States ; 
but  none  of  them  were  efficient  to  work  the  result 
desired.  The  entire  independence  of  the  United 
States  was  the  great  matter  which  both  were 
resolved  to  secure. 


CLOSE   OF   HIS    CAREER.  317 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

CLOSE     OF     HIS     CAREER. 

HI S  domestic  relations  at  the  pleasant  little 
village  of  Passy  were  of  the  most  delight 
ful  character.     The  family  of  M.  Brillon, 
in  which  he  made  his  home,  treated  him  as  one 
of  their  own  number,  and  with  sentiments  of  affec 
tionate  reverence.     The  neighbors  all  delighted  in 
his  genial  society,  and  he  was  an  object  of  uni 
versal  love. 

The  subject  of  animal  magnetism  came  up  be 
fore  the  public  mind,  during  the  latter  part  of  Dr. 
Franklin's  mission,  and  he  gave  much  attention  to 
it  as  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  time ;  but  he  was 
not  led  to  put  any  faith  in  its  reality  and  truth  as 
a  new  discovery. 

The  people  of  England  having  become  at  length 
tired  of  the  war,  they  clamored  for  its  termination ; 

and  the  ministry  were  obliged  to  yield.     In  order 
27* 


318  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

to  meet  the  changed  aspect  of  affairs,  Congress 
had  promptly  appointed  the  five  commissioners 
spoken  of,  Dr.  Franklin  being  one,  to  meet  at 
Paris  and  be  ready  to  receive  any  proposals  which 
the  British  ministry  might  be  disposed  to  make. 
There  were  four  leading  points  insisted  on  by 
Congress : — 1st,  the  independence  of  the  United 
States ;  2d,  a  settlement  of  the  boundaries  between 
the  remaining  British  colonies  and  the  United 
States;  3d,  a  contraction  of  the  boundaries  of 
Canada  to  their  condition  before  the  bill  which 
was  passed  by  Parliament  for  the  punishment  of 
Massachusetts  ;  and,  4th,  the  free  use  of  the  New 
foundland  Banks  for  fishing. 

These  points  were  all  discussed  at  great  length, 
after  the  negotiating  parties  were  met.  The 
British  commission  labored  hard  to  have  this 
point  yielded,  and  that  point  modified;  but  the 
American  commissioners  were  inflexible.  The 
articles  being  all  arranged,  they  were  signed  on 
the  30th  of  November,  1782,  at  Paris,  Franklin 
being  seventy-six  years  of  age  at  the  time.  This 
body  of  an  agreement  was  the  basis  of  the  treaty 
which  was  afterwards  concluded,  and  likewise 
signed  at  Paris,  on  the  3d  day  of  September,  1783. 
This  transaction  was  the  token  of  the  close  ef  the 


CLOSE   OF   HIS   CAREER.  319 

Revolution,  and  of  the  birth  of  a  new  nation  into 
the  world. 

Dr.  Franklin  wrote  to  a  friend  concerning  this 
event  in  history,  that  it  was  one  he  hardly  ex 
pected  to  live  to  see.  "A  few  years  of  peace," 
said  he,  "  well  improved,  will  restore  and  increase 
our  strength ;  but  our  future  safety  will  depend 
on  our  union  and  our  virtue." 

The  remainder  of  his  residence  in  France,  after 
the  signing  of  the  treaty  of  peace  with  Great 
Britain,  was  but  a  continuation  of  the  agreeable 
life  he  had  been  leading  there  from  the  first.  As 
Minister,  the  last  public  act  of  his  career  was  put 
ting  his  hand  to  a  treaty  with  Prussia,  which  he 
did  in  1785. 

Congress  was  at  last  ready  to  yield  to  his  solicit 
ations  to  be  relieved  of  his  official  position,  and 
sent  over  Mr.  Thomas  Jefferson  to  Paris  to  suc 
ceed  him  at  the  Court  of  Versailles.  He  had  lived 
for  eight  and  a  half  years  in  France,  and  served 
his  countrymen  with  fidelity  and  singleness  of 
purpose.  Leaving  his  native  land  when  she  had 
only  resolved  on  independence,  it  was  his  earnest 
wish  to  return  and  witness  the  change  in  her  con 
dition.  If  he  should  be  so  fortunate  as  to  cross 


320  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

the  seas  in  safety,  he  hoped  to  pass  the  short 
remainder  of  his  life  in  tranquillity  and  peace. 

After  taking  an  affectionate  and  impressive 
leave  of  his  numerous  friends,  he  embarked  at 
Havre  for  Southampton  on  the  last  of  July,  1785 ; 
and  after  a  very  brief  stay  in  England,  set  sail  for 
the  United  States.  In  his  Journal  is  to  be  found 
the  following  record  of  his  arrival  on  his  native 
shores : — 

"WEDNESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  14TH. — With  the  flood 
in  the  morning,  came  a  light  breeze,  which  brought 
us  above  Gloucester  Point,  in  full  view  of  dear 
Philadelphia !  when  we  again  cast  anchor  to  wait 
for  the  health  officer,  who,  having  made  his  visit, 
and  finding  no  sickness,  gave  us  leave  to  land. 
My  son-in-law  came  in  a  boat  to  us  ;  we  landed  at 
Market  street  wharf,  where  we  were  received  by 
a  crowd  of  people,  with  huzzas,  and  accompanied 
with  acclamations  quite  to  my  door.  Found  my 
family  well.  God  be  praised  for  his  mercies  !" 

He  at  once  went  to  live  with  his  daughter,  his 
wife  being  some  time  dead.  "I  am  again  sur 
rounded  by  my  friends,"  wrote  he  to  another, 
"  with  a  fine  family  of  grand-children  about  my 
knees,  and  an  affectionate,  good  daughter  and 
Bon-in-law  to  take  care  of  me."  It  was  his  sincere 


CLOSE    OF   HIS    CAREER.  321 

wish,  after  having  seen  fifty  years  of  public  ser 
vice,  to  be  allowed  the  remainder  of  his  days  for 
repose  and  reflection ;  but  the  needs  of  his  coun 
trymen  hardly  allowed  that ;  he  was  in  perpetual 
demand,  if  not  in  positive  action,  then  in  council. 

Hardly  had  he  become  settled  once  more  in  his 
new  domestic  state,  before  he  was  elected  to  the 
Supreme  Executive  Council  of  Pennsylvania. 
After  that,  he  was  made  President  of  the  province, 
— an  office  equal  to  that  of  Governor.  Aged  as 
he  was,  he  still  felt  himself  so  completely  in 
possession  of  his  faculties  as  not  to  hesitate  about 
assuming  the  new  gifts  imposed  on  him.  He 
shrank  from  nothing  to  which  he  was  adequate. 
To  the  last,  his  faculties  were  bright  and  elastic. 

As  President,  he  could  hold  the  office  for  three 
years ;  and  for  the  succeeding  four  years  he  would 
be  ineligible.  "While  yet  in  possession  of  this 
office,  he  was  likewise  elected  a  member  of  the 
convention  for  framing  a  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  which  assembled  in  Philadelphia, 
in  May,  1787.  At  that  time  he  was  in  his  eighty- 
second  year!  Men  of  that  age  do  not,  now-a- 
days,  go  about  such  weighty  business  as  framing 
the  fundamental  law  for  a  country.  One  is  sur 
prised  to  find  how  vigorous  his  mind  was,  and 


322  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

how  tenacious  still  of  work.  Long  after  the  time 
when  other  men  are  generally  through  their  life- 
work,  and  their  lives  also,  Dr.  Franklin  was  occu 
pied  with  a  task  which  would  have  challenged  the 
employment  of  the  energy  of  their  youth.  He 
made  short  but  pithy  speeches  before  the  Conven 
tion  on  the  several  points  debated ;  and,  after  the 
work  was  finished  in  that  body,  lent  his  further 
efforts  to  make  the  Constitution  acceptable  to  his 
countrymen.  He  did  not  approve  of  every  article 
of  that  great  instrument  himself;  but  he  yielded 
to  the  opinions  and  sentiments  of  others,  in  return 
for  their  yielding  in  a  degree  to  his  own. 

His  life,  from  this  time,  may  be  considered 
rather  a  private  than  a  public  one.  He  lived,  at 
that  period,  in  Market  street ;  his  house  was  de 
scribed  as  standing  "  up  a  court,  at  some  distance 
from  the  street."  Dr.  Cutler,  of  Massachusetts,  a 
famous  botanist,  who  visited  him  at  home  in  his 
old  age,  wrote  in  his  journal  of  the  sage, — "We 
found  him  in  his  garden,  sitting  upon  a  grass  plot, 
under  a  very  large  mulberry  tree,  (this  was  in 
July,  1787)  with  several  other  gentlemen  and  two 
or  three  ladies.  When  Mr.  Gerry  introduced  me, 
he  rose  from  his  chair,  took  me  by  the  hand,  ex 
pressed  his  joy  at  seeing  me,  welcomed  me  to  the 


CLOSE   OF   HIS   CAREER.  323 

city,  and  begged  me  to  seat  myself  close  to  him. 
His  voice  was  low,  but  his  countenance  open, 
frank,  and  pleasing.  I  delivered  to  him  my  letters. 
After  he  had  read  them,  he  took  me  again  by  the 
hand,  and,  with  the  usual  compliments,  introduced 
me  to  the  other  gentlemen,  who  were  most  of  them 
members  of  the  Convention. 

"  Here  we  entered  into  a  free  conversation,  and 
spent  our  time  most  agreeably,  until  it  was  quite 
dark.  The  tea-table  was  spread  under  the  tree ; 
and  Mrs.  Bache,  who  is  the  only  daughter  (Sarah) 
of  the  Doctor,  and  lives  with  him;  served  it  out  to 
the  company.  She  had  three  of  her  children 
about  her.  They  seemed  to  be  exceedingly  fond 
of  their  grandpapa" 

"  After  it  was  dark,  we  went  into  the  house,  and 
he  invited  me  into  his  library,  which  is  likewise 
his  study.  It  is  a  very  large  chamber,  and  high- 
studded.  The  walls  are  covered  with  book-shelves, 
filled  with  books;  besides,  there  are  four  large 
alcoves,  extending  two-thirds  the  length  of  the 
chamber,  filled  in  the  same  manner.  *  *  *  He 
showed  us  a  glass  machine  for  exhibiting  the 
circulation  of  the  blood  in  the  arteries  and  veins 
of  the  human  body.  *  *  *  Another  great 
curiosity  was  a  rolling  press,  for  taking  the  copies 


324  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

of  letters,  or  any  other  writing.  *  *  *  He  alsc 
showed  us  his  long  artificial  arm  and  hand,  for 
taking  down  and  putting  up  books  on  high  shelves, 
which  are  out  of  reach;  and  his  great  arm-chair, 
with  rockers,  and  a  large  fan  placed  over  it,  with 
which  he  fans  himself,  keeps  off  the  flies,  &c., 
while  he  sits  reading,  with  only  a  small  motion  of 
the  feet.  *  *  *  Over  his  mantel,  he  has  a  pro 
digious  number  of  medals,  busts,  and  casts  in  wax, 
or  plaster  of  Paris,  which  are  the  effigies  of  the 
most  noted  characters  in  Europe." 

His  talk  was  chiefly  on  science,  and  especially 
on  philosophy.  The  rest  of  the  company  talked 
politics.  His  visitor  records  that  his  conversation 
betrayed  extensive  knowledge,  a  bright  and  ready 
memory,  and  a  perfect  clearness  of  all  the  mental 
faculties,  notwithstanding  his  age.  His  manners 
were  easy,  and  calculated  to  make  all  persons  con 
tented  in  his  presence.  His  vein  of  humor  showed 
just  as  freshly  as  in  earlier  days.  He  talked  and 
chatted  with  great  freedom,  keeping  the  conversa 
tion  always  alive. 

He  was  drawing  near,  however,  to  the  close  of 
his  long  and  useful  life.  There  was  little  else  for 
him  to  do  in  the  world.  His  days  were  well  spent. 
During  the  last  two  or  three  years  of  his  life  he 


CLOSE    OF   HIS    CAREER.  325 

was  a  continual  sufferer  from  inward  pain,  which 
gave  him  warning,  perhaps,  of  his  end.  But  the 
end  was  still  delayed.  Not  until  1790,  in  the 
month  of  April,  was  he  assailed  with  the  disease 
which  was  the  immediate  cause  of  his  decease. 
He  had  been  obliged  to  keep  his  bed,  for  the 
greater  part  of  a  twelvemonth  previously ;  and,  in 
the  intervals  of  his  pain,  he  entertained  himself 
with  reading  and  his  friends  with  conversation. 
His  faculties  were  all  this  time  perfectly  clear,  and 
his  kindness  and  goodness  of  heart  as  much  to  be 
remarked  as  ever.  He  originated  pleasantries 
after  the  old  way,  and  was  as  ready  as  formerty 
with  his  anecdotes. 

A  little  more  than  two  weeks  before  his  death, 
he  was  overtaken  with  feverish  symptoms,  which 
attracted  no  special  attention  for  two  or  three 
days ;  but  he  soon  afterward  was  afflicted  with  a 
cough,  and  his  breathing  became  laborious.  Once 
or  twice  he  groaned,  which  drew  from  him  the 
remark  that  he  was  afraid  he  did  not  bear  the 
pain  as  he  ought.  He  expressed  his  gratitude  for 
the  many  blessings  he  had  received  at  the  hands 
of  Heaven,  that  he  had  been  raised  from  such  a 
low  and  small  beginning  to  his  high  rank  and 
consideration  among  men.  He  could  not  but  be- 

28 


326  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

lieve  that  his  present  afflictions  were  sent  to  wean 
him  from  a  world  in  which  he  was  no  longer  fit 
to  act  the  part  assigned  him. 

For  five  days  in  all,  he  lay  in  this  state ;  at  the 
end  of  which  time  his  pain  and  all  difficulty  of 
breathing  had  left  him.  His  friends  even  felt 
encouraged  that  his  life  would  be  prolonged.  But 
it  was  a  vain  hope.  A  trouble  of  the  lungs  made 
itself  apparent  now,  from  which  his  respiration 
gradually  became  so  oppressed  as  to  be  checked 
altogether.  He  finally  passed  away  in  a  lethargic 
state,  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  on  the  17th  of 
April,  1790.  He  had  reached  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-four  years  and  three  months. 

The  intelligence  of  his  death  called  forth  ex 
pressions  of  sorrow  and  sympathy  alike  from 
America  and  Europe.  Congress  passed  resolutions 
appropriate  to  the  event,  and  so  did  the  National 
Assembly  of  France.  Other  bodies,  both  scientific 
and  political,  added  their  testimony  to  the  universal 
appreciation  of  his  life  and  character. 

Of  his  religious  views  many  inquiries  have  been 
made,  and  assertions  of  his  lack  of  faith  in  Divine 
Power  have  been  in  circulation.  Skeptics  have 
claimed  him  as  belonging  to  their  class,  and 
sticklers  for  mere  creeds  have  discarded  him  as  of 


CLOSE   OF   HIS    CAREER.  327 

no  worth  to  them.  That  Franklin  was  a  pro- 
toundly  religious  man,  his  long  life  abundantly 
attests.  Only  five  weeks  before  his  death,  he 
answered  to  the  questions  of  Dr.  Stiles,  President 
of  Yale  College, — "I  believe  in  one  God,  the 
Creator  of  the  universe ;  that  he  governs  it  by  his 
Providence ;  that  he  ought  to  be  worshipped ;  that 
the  most  acceptable  service  we  can  render  to  Him 
is  doing  good  to  His  other  children ;  that  the  soul 
of  man  is  immortal,  and  will  be  treated  with 
justice  in  another  life  respecting  its  conduct  in 
this.  *  *  *  As  to  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  my 
opinion  of  whom  you  particularly  desire,  I  think 
his  system  of  morals  and  his  religion,  as  he  left 
them  to  us,  the  best  the  world  ever  saw,  or  is  like 
to  see ;  but  I  apprehend  it  has  received  various 
corrupting  changes,  and  I  have,  with  most  of  the 
present  Dissenters  in  England,  some  doubts  as  to 
his  divinity ;  though  it  is  a  question  I  do  not  dog 
matize  upon,  having  never  studied  it." 

In  none  of  his  writings  does  Franklin  say  aught 
against  religion,  but  rather  inculcates  it  as  a  rule 
for  the  life.  He  kept  the  company  of  such  a  man 
as  Whitfield,  who  used  to  lodge  at  his  house.  He 
was  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  building  of 
churches  and  the  support  of  ministers.  He  early 


328  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

in  life  composed  a  book  of  prayers;  and  he 
abridged  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  to  which 
he  wrote  a  Preface.  While  in  France,  a  skeptical 
writer,  supposed  to  be  Thomas  Paine,  showed  him 
his  work  against  religion  in  manuscript;  arid 
Franklin  advised  him  to  burn  it.  In  his  letter  of 
advice  to  his  daughter,  written  while  waiting  on 
board  ship  before  sailing  for  England,  he  inculcated 
the  duty  of  attending  divine  worship  with  regu 
larity. 

In  the  Convention  for  framing  the  Constitution, 
too,  after  that  body  had  been  in  session  some  four 
or  five  weeks,  it  being  apparently  impossible  to 
make  any  headway  with  business,  he  rose  and 
proposed  that  the  daily  sessions  be  opened  with 
prayer.  He  said,  in  support  of  his  motion, — "  In 
the  beginning  of  the  contest  with  Britain,  when 
we  were  sensible  of  danger,  we  had  daily  prayers 
in  this  room  for  divine  protection.  Our  prayers, 
sir,  were  heard;  and  they  were  graciously  an- 
swereu.  *  *  *  And  have  we  now  forgotten 
that  powerful  Friend  ?  or  do  we  imagine  we  no 
longer  need  his  assistance?  I  have  lived,  sir,  a 
long  time ;  and,  the  longer  I  live,  the  more  con 
vincing  proofs  I  see  of  this  truth,  that  God  governs 
in  the  affairs  of  men.  And,  if  a  sparrow  cannot 


CLOSE   OF   HIS   CAREER.  329 

fall  to  the  ground  without  his  notice,  is  it  probable 
that  an  empire  can  rise  without  his  aid  ?  We  have 
been  assured,  sir,  that,  i  except  the  Lord  build  the 
house,  they  labor  in  vain  that  build  it.'  I  firmly 
believe  this ;  and  I  also  believe,  that,  without  his 
concurring  aid,  we  shall  succeed  in  this  political 
building  no  better  than  the  builders  of  Babel." 
His  motion  was  not  adopted,  however,  the  Con 
vention  seeming  to  think,  with  the  exception  of 
three  or  four  members,  that  prayers  were  "  un 
necessary." 

Dr.  Franklin  was  ever  a  friend  and  advocate  of 
the  cause  of  education.  He  renewed,  in  the  last 
days  of  his  life,  the  earnestness  with  which  he  set 
about  the  establishment  of  the  Academy  in  Phila 
delphia,  some  forty  years  before.  But  he  advo 
cated  the  study  of  the  English,  and  other  modern 
tongues,  before  putting  the  learner  upon  the  dead 
languages.  To  stop  in  this  day  to  study  Greek 
and  Latin  he  thought  as  useless  as  to  wear  broad 
cuffs  with  buttons,  after  gloves  began  to  be  worn, 
and  to  continue  the  use  of  the  cocked  hat  after 
umbrellas  were  introduced. 

In  the  relief  of  his  pains,  he  busied  himself  with 
writing  a  variety  of  short  papers,  showing  that  his 
mental  vigor  and  freshness  still  remained.  One 

28* 


330  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

of  these  papers  was  upon  the  license  of  the  press, 
in  assailing  individuals;  another  compared  the 
conduct  of  the  anti-Federalists  to  that  of  the  Jews ; 
and  he  also  gave  some  little  time  to  the  writing 
of  his  own  memoirs,  which  he  hoped,  while  in 
Europe,  to  have  leisure  to  finish  on  settling  down 
once  more  at  home.  He  likewise  drew  up  a  plan 
for  improving  the  condition  of  the  free  blacks. 
Indeed,  it  is  said  that  the  last  public  act  of  his  life 
was  to  sign  his  name,  as  President  of  the  Abolition 
Society  of  Pennsylvania,  to  a  memorial  of  the 
society  to  Congress ;  and  the  last  paper  he  ever 
wrote  was  upon  that  particular  topic.  The  paper 
in  question  was  a  sort  of  parody  of  a  speech  by  a 
member  of  Congress  from  Georgia,  in  favor  of 
negro  slavery.  Dr.  Franklin  represents  Sidi  Me- 
hemet  Ibrahim  as  making  a  speech  in  the  divan 
of  Algiers,  in  opposition  to  the  petition  of  a  sect 
called  Erika,  who  desired  the  abolition  of  piracy 
and  slavery.  Ibrahim  brings  forward  exactly  the 
same  arguments  and  sentiments  in  his  speech,  in 
favor  of  enslaving  Europeans,  that  had  been  used 
by  the  Georgia  member  of  Congress. 

He  was  a  warm  personal  friend  of  "Washington 
to  the  last  He  wrote  him,  in  September  of  the 
year  preceding  his  death,  congratulating  him  on 


CLOSE   OF  HIS   CAREER.  331 

the  growing  strength  of  the  new  government 
under  his  personal  administration ;  and  he  went 
on  to  say — "For  my  own  personal  ease,  I  should 
have  died  two  years  ago ;  but,  though  those  years 
have  been  spent  in  excruciating  pain,  I  am  pleased 
that  I  have  lived  them,  since  they  have  brought 
me  to  see  our  present  situation.  I  am  now  finish 
ing  my  eighty-fourth  year,  and  probably  with  it 
my  career  in  this  life ;  but  in  whatever  state  of 
existence  I  am  placed  hereafter,  if  I  retain  any 
memory  of  what  has  passed  here,  I  shall  with  it 
retain  the  esteem,  respect,  and  affection,  with 
which  I  have  long  been,  my  dear  friend,  yours 
most  sincerely."  Franklin  was  the  first  person 
whom  "Washington  called  on,  when  he  came  from 
his  farm  in  Virginia  to  take  his  seat  in  the  Con 
vention  which  framed  the  Constitution;  and  he 
was  just  as  attentive,  on  passing  through  Phila 
delphia  afterwards,  to  be  invested  in  New  York 
with  the  august  Presidential  office. 

The  funeral  services  over  the  body  of  Dr.  Frank 
lin  were  attended  by  more  than  twenty  thousand 
persons.  The  bells  of  the  city  were  all  muffled 
and  tolled.  The  flags  on  the  shipping  were  hung 
at  half-mast.  And  when  the  rites  of  sepulture 
were  over,  the  discharge  of  cannon  made  the  fact 


332  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

impressive  to  the  hearts  of  all  who  heard  their 
thunders.  The  sage  and  philosopher  was  buried 
by  the  side  of  his  wife,  in  the  Christ  Church 
Cemetery,  of  Philadelphia.  Both  graves  are 
covered  with  a  slab  of  marble,  perfectly  plain,  as 
he  had  directed  in  his  will ;  and  the  only  inscrip 
tion  upon  the  same  was  the  record  of  their  names 
arid  the  year  of  his  decease.  Over  the  place  of 
his  birth,  in  Boston,  in  Milk  Street,  has  been 
erected  a  fine  granite  store,  on  the  high  brow  of 
which  are  chiselled  the  two  or  three  words  that 
mark  that  as  the  spot  of  Franklin's  nativity.  The 
city  of  Boston  has  erected  a  fine  bronze  statue  of 
him  in  City  Hall  Square,  where  one  may  gaze 
at  the  significant  attitude  of  the  philosopher  to  his 
heart's  content  and  improvement.  "What  is  a  little 
remarkable  about  the  expression  of  the  face,  if  it 
were  a  happy  accident  on  the  part  of  the  designer, 
one  side  of  it  betrays  the  character  of  the  philoso 
pher  and  sage,  and  the  other  the  worldly-wise 
man  and  the  man  of  shrewd  humor. 

In  person,  Dr.  Franklin  was  of  what  is  styled 
a  strong  build,  and  short  rather  than  tall.  He 
grew  a  little  fleshy  as  he  grew  older.  His  com 
plexion  was  light,  and  his  eyes  were  of  that  in 
evitable  gray  which  is  a  puzzle  to  all  other  eyes 


CLOSE    OP   HIS    CAREER.  333 

for  the  depth  and  variety  of  its  expression.  He 
was  inclined  to  be  silent  in  a  mixed  company,  but 
in  the  presence  of  his  friends  he  was  genial  and 
free.  His  conversation  was  frank  and  winning, 
and  enriched  with  the  results  of  his  experience 
and  observation,  his  humor  and  shrewd  sagacity, 
his  engaging  anecdotes  and  sensible  reflections. 
He  possessed  a  sound  judgment,  remarkable  sa 
gacity,  and  held  calm  command  at  all  times  over 
his  passions.  What  secured  for  him  success  in 
whatever  he  set  about,  he  was  wise  enough  never 
to  let  either  his  vanity  or  his  prejudices  stand  in 
his  way ;  he  was  never  in  his  own  light.  With 
such  balance  of  his  faculties,  he  was  able  to  direct 
them  upon  any  single  object,  and  touch  the  results 
he  aimed  at.  For  humanity  and  genuine  philan 
thropy,  no  American  can  be  placed  before  him; 
he  was  always  doing  good,  his  long  life  through, 
by  precept,  by  example,  and  with  such  means  aa 
a  kind  Providence  had  placed  at  the  disposal  of 
his  benevolence. 


THE     END. 


)EC  I  8 1953  LU 


REC'D  LD 


RECEIVED 


OANDEPT. 


REC'D  L.O 

OCT  it  1980 


JAN  5    1959 


OCT  5    1962 


FEB271959 


REC'D  L! 

NOV  2  8  1961 
3319568 


M_W0«.T,'62<A»»8.1<»«<> 


'  D    J 


.•7V 


